Amaravati, AP, India: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday instructed Machavaram police to refrain from arresting YSR Congress Party leader and former legislator Vallabhaneni Vamsi until further proceedings are conducted.

The court heard Vamsi’s petition seeking anticipatory bail in connection with a criminal case filed by Machavaram police in Vijayawada, which includes charges related to an alleged attempt to murder along with other offenses.

During the hearing, counsel Satyashree, representing the petitioner, requested interim relief to safeguard Vamsi from immediate arrest. A supplementary plea was also submitted to support the request for temporary protection.

Opposing the plea, the Assistant Public Prosecutor informed the court that as many as 19 criminal cases have been registered against the petitioner and alleged that this history was not disclosed in the bail application. These submissions were taken into account by the court while reviewing the matter.

The bench also noted that the police had initiated the case nearly 16 months after the alleged incident. Considering the limited time available to thoroughly examine the anticipatory bail request, the court directed law enforcement not to take Vamsi into custody until the next hearing.

The matter has been deferred until after the Sankranthi holidays. The interim order was issued by Justice Y Lakshmana Rao on Friday.