A CBI court has issued a notice to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in a case filed by rebel YSRCP Member of Parliament (MP) K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, seeking cancellation of the former’s bail in a quid pro quo case. The court issued notices to both Jagan Mohan Reddy and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) asking to file their counters to the petition filed by the MP, who sought the cancellation of Jagan's bail on the ground of alleged violation of bail conditions.
The court on Tuesday admitted the petition and posted the matter for further hearing on May 7. The judge had brushed aside the objections of the court registry over maintainability of the case and directed to post the case for hearing.
The registry had raised the objection on the ground that it is only the prosecution or some related party that can file such petitions. The petitioner's counsel, however, furnished to the court the orders of the Supreme Court that held that even ordinary citizens can approach the court in such matters.
Raju, a member of Lok Sabha from Narsapur, voiced apprehension that Jagan Mohan Reddy may try to influence witnesses in the case. He also cited the Chief Minister's non-appearance before the trial court and seeking exemptions as violations of bail conditions.
In his petition, he mentioned the appointment of accused IAS officer Y Srilakshmi as a Special Chief secretary and retired IAS officer and co-accused M Samuel as an advisor to the government.
The MP stated in his petition that since all the witnesses cited by the prosecution in the quid pro quo case have now become subjects of Jagan Mohan Reddy, he will influence them not to depose against him before the trial court.
Jagan Mohan Reddy, who became Chief Minister in May 2019, has been seeking exemptions from weekly court appearance citing his constitutional duties as the Chief Minister. The allegations against Jagan Mohan Reddy relate to the period 2004-2009, when his father YS Rajasekhara Reddy was the Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh.
The CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) probed the allegations that Jagan Mohan Reddy, in criminal conspiracy with others, received bribes from various persons/companies in the guise of investments in his group companies as 'quid pro quo' for undue favours granted to them by the then Andhra Pradesh government.
Jagan Mohan Reddy was arrested in May 2012 in the DA case when he was an MP. In 2013, the special CBI court had granted conditional bail to him, after he spent 16 months in jail.