Congress MP K. V. P. Ramachandra Rao, a trusted aide of late Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, will face further investigation in the assets case against Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy, the CBI informed a special court here on Monday.
CBI counsel B. Ravindranath made this disclosure when Principal Special Judge U. Durga Prasada Rao asked the investigating agency how it was planning to proceed in case of Mr. Ramachandra Rao.
The judge said E. Suryanarayana Reddy alias Sureedu, YSR’s personal aide and a witness in the fifth charge-sheet filed on Monday, had levelled serious allegations about the role of KVP.
Sureedu reportedly told the CBI that KVP had played a key role in the issuance of 26 controversial GOs, which helped private companies get allotment of lands, mining leases, allocation of water for industrial needs and others without following norms. Mr. Ramachandra Rao was examined as a witness in the assets case on March 23.
The judge asked the CBI whether it was depending heavily on Sureedu’s witness. In that case, a situation might arise warranting inclusion of Mr. Ramachandra Rao as an accused in the case under Section 319 of CrPC. The CBI counsel informed the judge that they were not solely depending upon the witness’ statement but was in the process of collecting documentary evidence.
Interestingly, Sureedu turned hostile in the illegal mining case against Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) by retracting his earlier statement that was recorded by the CBI under Section 161 of CrPC.
Meanwhile, sources stated that the list of witnesses in the fresh charge-sheet in Jagan case includes former Principal Secretary in CMO Jannat Hussain, former Chief Security Officer to Chief Minister M. Ramesh, Mines Department officials Diwakar Reddy and Venkat Reddy and Senior Director of auditing firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu P.N. Sudarshan.
