The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday informed the Special Court for CBI cases that it would move the Supreme Court seeking to include provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) for prosecuting former Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao in the Vanpic case.
Earlier, the investigating agency had served notice on Mr. Prasada Rao and also filed a memo urging the court to take cognisance of offences under the provisions of the PCA because he was not a minister and hence sanction to prosecute him was not needed. Mr. Rao, an accused in the disproportionate assets case against Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, had quit as Minister after he was named in the charge-sheet.
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Meanwhile, the court adjourned to July 1, hearing on the CBI's petition seeking judicial custody of former Ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy and Dharmana Prasada Rao in the assets case against Jaganmohan Reddy. Referring to their statements in the media on May 20, the investigating agency contended that witnesses could be influenced and hence sought judicial custody.The court directed the CBI to get the raw video footage of their statements. The agency had earlier submitted as evidence, copies of footage pertaining to the leaders’ remarks that they were innocent and told the court that it could influence the investigation and witnesses.
When the court issued notices, the two leaders replied that they would file their counter only after examining the tapes in detail, to communicate the background and relevance of their contention that they were innocent. They felt the evidence submitted by the CBI was ‘unclear and incomplete.’