The judicial remand of Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and 11 others lodged in jails in the sensitive cases handled by CBI was extended till August 1.
Except suspended IAS officer Y. Srilakshmi and financial controller of Emaar MGF Land G. Venkata Vijay Raghav, all others were produced in the court of the principal judge for CBI cases by video linkage with jails on Wednesday. Former Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy was accessed from a jail in Bangalore where he was shifted four months ago.
The others whose remand was extended included Minister Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao, industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad, ex-special secretary K.V. Brahmananda Reddy, suspended IAS officer B.P. Acharya, Trimex group chairman Koneru Prasad, Jagan’s former aide N. Sunil Reddy, ex-mines director V.D. Rajagopal and managing director of Obulapuram Mining Company B.V. Srinivas Reddy.
Meanwhile, the court partly heard the bail application of Vijay Raghav and adjourned further hearing to July 24. It was argued by his counsel Diljit Singh Ahluwalia that his client was held in custody for 172 days on the basis of a fabricated report about receipt of money in excess of documented price for sale of villa plots in Emaar township project. The report was retrieved during forensic examination of his laptop.
The CBI relied on the oral evidence of two witnesses – former Andhra Cricket Association secretary V. Chamundeswarinath and another buyer Krishna Reddy – in support of its contention that Vijay Raghav and other accused in the scam received Rs. 20,000 a sq yd while the documented price was Rs. 5,000 a sq yd. If these two persons told court during trial that they paid only Rs. 5,000 a sq yd, there was no case at all.
