The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to CBI seeking its response on the bail plea of YSR Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy in a disproportionate assets case.
A bench headed by Justice P. Sathasivam asked the agency to file its response and posted the case for hearing on May 6.
Mr. Reddy has moved the apex court challenging the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s January 24 order refusing to grant him bail in the case.
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Mr. Reddy, who was arrested on May 27, last year by CBI on corruption charges, is presently under judicial custody and is lodged at the Chanchalguda Central Prison in Hyderabad.
In October last year, the apex court had dismissed Mr. Reddy’s bail plea in the case.
While dismissing the bail application, the apex court had said that the petitioner was open to renew his bail before the trial court “on completion of the investigation by CBI” on certain aspects.
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CBI had told the court that it would be filing a final charge sheet on Sandur Power, Bharati/Raghuram Cements, Dalmia Cements, India Cements and Kolkata-based suitcase companies allegedly sending money into Reddy’s companies including Lepakshi knowledge hub project and Indu Projects.
The agency has filed several charge sheets against Mr. Reddy, an MP from Kadapa, and others.
It has accused him and his late father and the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy of hatching a conspiracy to defraud the government. According to it, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy allegedly influenced his father in doling out certain favours to various players, who made investments of several crores of rupees into his businesses as a quid pro quo.
Several ministers, who had also served in Rajasekhara Reddy’s cabinet, and officials are under CBI’s scanner for allegedly issuing controversial orders, allotting land, granting mining licences and other favours to various companies promoted by Mr. Reddy.
Meanwhile, a special CBI court today extended till May 13 the judicial remand of YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and others accused in connection with alleged quid-pro-quo deals in the assets case.
Mr. Reddy and the others accused, including ex-minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao, industrialist Nimmagadda Prasada and senior bureaucrat K V Brahmananda Reddy (all accused in Vanpic aspect of the Jagan assets case), who are currently lodged in Chanchalguda prison, were produced before the CBI court through video-conferencing.
Andhra Pradesh Minister Dhramana Prasad Rao, who is also an accused in the case, appeared before the court.