Hyderabad, Jun 24 (IANS): Andhra Pradesh Police have booked union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram for allegedly "cheating people of Telangana" by going back on their word over formation of a separate state.

A case under section 420 of Indian Penal Code (cheating) was booked Monday at L.B. Nagar police station on the outskirts of Hyderabad against the two central ministers on the direction of a district court, a police officer said.

The police took the action after a court in Ranga Reddy district pulled up the Station House Officer (SHO) of the police station for not following the orders passed Jan 28 this year.

The SHO last week appeared before the second metropolitan magistrate's court.

The court took cognizance against him under section 166 (a) of the IPC (public servant disobeying the law) on a complaint filed by Telangana Junior Advocates' Association member Naresh Kumar.

The court Jan 28 had directed the police to file First Information Report (FIR), probe the allegations and also file a status report before it by Feb 14.

The petitioner alleged that both Shinde and Chidambaram made misleading statement on the Telangana issue, thereby cheating the people of the region. He sought the court's directions to refer the matter to the police for investigation and registration of a case.

Naresh Kumar mentioned in his petition the statements made by the two cabinet ministers. During the all-party meeting convened by the home ministry on Telangana in New Delhi Dec 28 last year, Shinde stated that the Telangana issue would be resolved within a month.

Chidambaram as then union home minister Dec 9, 2009, had announced that the process for formation of separate Telangana state would be initiated.

However, following protests in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, Chidambaram Dec 23 same year modified the statement, saying there is need for more consultations over the issue.