SC seeks CBI response on plea against bail to Andhra CM Jagan in graft case

Andhra CM has been accused of amassing disproportionate assets of ₹40,000 crore which is under probe in 11 cases registered by CBI in August 2021 on the direction of the Andhra Pradesh high court

New Delhi

The Supreme Court issued notice on the petition filed by rebel MP Raghu Ramakrishna Raju of the YSR Congress Party and directed that the petition be heard in January with another petition filed by Raju seeking transfer of the trial against Reddy to Delhi. (HT Photo)

The Supreme Court on Friday sought response of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a petition against separate orders of the Telangana high court granting bail and exemption from personal appearance to Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in a corruption trial pending against him in Hyderabad.

A bench of justices AS Oka and Pankaj Mithal issued notice on the petition filed by rebel member of Parliament (MP) Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, belonging to the same political party that rules Andhra Pradesh and directed the petition to be heard in January along with another petition filed by Raju seeking transfer of the trial against Reddy to Delhi.

Advocate Balaji Srinivasan who appeared for the petitioner MP told the Court that his earlier petition for shifting the trial from Telangana to Delhi was entertained by a separate bench of the top court on November 3.

In the present petition, Raju challenged separate orders passed by the Telangana high court on August 26, 2022 and October 28, 2022 exempting personal appearance of Andhra CM during the trial and refusing to set aside bail granted to him by the trial court.

The bench directed the present matter to be listed before the appropriate bench along with the other matter which has been listed in January next year.

Raju, a YSR Congress Party MP, said that the CBI was “hand-in-gloves” with the accused as it had not challenged the two orders challenged by him. He accused the agency of being a “mute spectator” to the hundreds of adjournments in the case which has delayed the trial for over a decade.

The Andhra CM has been accused of amassing disproportionate assets to the tune of ₹40,000 crore which is under probe in 11 cases registered by the CBI in August 2021 on the direction of the Andhra Pradesh high court. The cases have been registered under various provisions of cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and acts of corruption by public servant punishable under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Srinivasan who was assisted by advocate Rohan Dewan pointed out to the Court that the trial in this case depicted a “sorry state of affairs”. The petition said, “The state machinery (CBI) have been more than happy to be silent spectators to this abuse of the processes of courts...There appears to be a pattern discernable in relation to Prevention of Corruption Act cases which reveals a disturbing trend of prosecution and accused having friendly matches,” the petition said.

In the earlier order passed by the top court on November 3, the bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti said, “Doubts have arisen whether the present transfer petition on behalf of the petitioner – Raghu Ramakrishna Raju will be maintainable. However, we would like to ascertain and know the reason why trial is taking so long to conclude.” It was further clarified that the present proceedings will not delay the trial in any manner.