Former Ministers Dharmana Prasada Rao and P. Sabitha Indra Reddy on Wednesday got a breather from court following rejection of a request by the CBI to send them to jail for airing views over TV channels that they will come out clean in the assets case against Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.
The court for CBI cases, in its verdict, said it found no merit in the memo filed by the investigating agency as the words and expressions used by the ex-Ministers either in their “isolation or conjunction” did not disclose any incriminating material so as to adversely influence the minds of witnesses.
The CBI had recently argued before the court that the remarks of Mr. Prasada Rao and Ms. Sabitha amounted to influencing the witnesses and prayed that they be remanded to judicial custody for smooth investigation of the case and fair trial.
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The defence, however, contended that they would repeat whatever they spoke to the media when they were examined by court. And they spoke nothing objectionable.
The court observed in these circumstances that a plain reading of the text of speeches by the ex-Ministers would show that they could not be faulted even if any witness mistook them. It took note of the argument of defence that addressing the media was a convention followed by elected leaders when they tendered resignation to their posts. They had to inform the public circumstances under which they had resigned.
Conflicting claimsADVERTISEMENT
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The court said it perused the CDs containing the speeches and their transcriptions in the light of conflicting claims.
An analysis of the context in which the statements were given did not appear to throw light on any incriminating material. Incorporating the incriminating material as pointed out by CBI, the court order said there was no merit in it.