Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who is facing a batch of quid pro quo cases registered by the CBI at a special court here, has moved Telangana High Court seeking exemption from court appearances.
Eleven criminal petitions were filed by Mr. Reddy in the HC to permit appearance of his lawyer on his behalf in the 11 charge-sheets filed by the CBI. He challenged the CBI special court’s order given on November 1, 2019 dismissing his petition seeking exemption from court appearances.
Mr. Reddy stated that he had to attend to official duties in his capacity as CM and it was becoming difficult to appear before the court regularly. He stated that security issues, huge expenses and protocol rules were involved in his journey from Vijayawada to Hyderabad.
Earlier, the HC rejected his petitions for exemption from court appearances. However, in the changed scenario of he becoming the CM of the State and the need to look after the administrative responsibility, the exemption from court appearances was needed, he stated.
All the 11 petitions were listed for hearing before Justice G. Sri Devi bench on Tuesday. During the previous hearing by the CBI special court, which was holding the proceedings in-camera, reportedly told Mr. Reddy’s counsel that his petitions to dispense with presence would not be allowed.
Mr. Reddy, who had attended the special court while being the main opposition leader in AP Assembly, became the Chief Minister in 2019 elections. The special court had exempted him from court appearance from time to time after he became CM but passed a direction insisting his presence in the court a few days ago.
For the first time, Mr. Reddy appeared before the court on this January 9. He did not turn up at the court during subsequent dates.
