BRS MLAs poaching case: Telangana high court transfers probe to CBI, party slams 'hiding mouse'

The high court also dissolved a state government-appointed SIT which was probing the case.

The Telangana high court on Monday transferred the probe into a case related to the alleged attempts to poach four MLAs of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Nanda Kumar, accused in TRS MLAs poaching case, being produced before the Anti-Corruption Bureau court judge G Rajagopal at his residence in Hyderabad. (PTI)

The high court also dissolved the state government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) which was probing the case.

Reacting to the development, BRS social media convenor Krishank, in a cryptic tweet, said the court's decision comes as a ‘relief to the hiding mouse.'

“After BJP's 7 Attempts to handover MLA Poaching Case to CBI, finally its a relief to the hiding mouse, who is now relieved from SIT inquiry,” tweeted Krishank.

The BRS accuses the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to poach the legislators to destabilise chief minister K Chandrasekar Rao's government.

The decision, meanwhile, was hailed by state BJP leader and advocate Ram Chander Rao.

MLA's ‘poaching’ case

On October 26, three people were arrested from a farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad, while allegedly luring the lawmakers into joining the BJP by offering huge money, posts and contracts. Of the accused, Nanda Kumar is from Hyderabad, while Simhayaji Swamy is from Tirupati in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The third, Ramchandra Bharti, is from Haryana's Faridabad.

The ruling party MLAs they tried to lure are Pilot Rohit Reddy, Guvvala Balaraju, B Harshavardhan Reddy and Rega Kantha Rao.

The BJP denies it tried to poach the legislators. Telangana is likely to go to polls in late 2023.