In a major step in the direction of instituting a probe into the disproportionate assets case against Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and two other cases, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Tuesday secured permission of a special court here to question the 10 accused, now in judicial custody, from the perspective of money laundering and other related violations.
Advocates
The Principal Special Court for CBI Cases allowed the ED to question the accused within fifteen days, by July 3, in the jail premises in the presence of authorised advocates (one for every accused). The court gave its nod to a five-member team suggested by the ED to serve summons on the accused in jail and record their statements.
Summons to 10 persons
ED officials will now serve summons on Nimmagadda Prasad, K.V. Brahmananda Reddy and B.P. Acharya in the Jagan case, Y. Srilakshmi, B.V. Srinivasa Reddy and V.D. Rajagopal in the illegal mining case and B.P. Acharya, Koneru Rajendra Prasad, V. Venkata Vijay Raghav and N. Sunil Reddy in the Emaar case – and question them for alleged offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Deputy Director of ED Rajeshwar Singh and Assistant Directors Kamal Singh, Sushil Kumar, Yanadi Reddy and Y. Narasimha Rao will question the accused in jail.
Instructions
The court has also instructed the Superintendent of Chanchalguda prison to allow these officials to complete their work.
Hearing today
The ED did not file petitions to question two other accused in the Jagan and illegal mining cases, V. Vijay Sai Reddy and Gali Janardhan Reddy, as they are out on bail. The High Court, however, cancelled the bail of Janardhan Reddy recently.
In its Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered recently, based on the CBI charge-sheet in the Jagan case, the ED had stated that Mr. Jagan had contravened the provisions of the PMLA. The ED petition seeking the court’s permission to question Mr. Jagan would come up for hearing on Wednesday.
