The Telangana government, on February 17, in the Supreme Court, questioned a State High Court decision to transfer to CBI the investigation into an alleged attempt to poach four Bharat Rashtra Samithi legislators.
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Appearing before a Bench led by Justice B. R. Gavai, senior advocate Dushyant Dave, for the State, asked “How can I go to CBI? The allegations are against the BJP in the FIR. What is the point of sending it to the CBI? The CBI is controlled by the Centre”. Mr. Dave said there was “evidence with the State against the BJP”.
“This is a very very serious issue. Our investigation by the State-appointed SIT was not allowed to go an inch forward. The issues involved are so severe that it will affect the very foundation of democracy… The judiciary is the only institution left to save democracy,” Mr. Dave submitted. The court listed the case on February 27.
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The Telangana government had on November 9 ordered the setting up of a seven-member SIT to probe into the alleged attempt to poach the MLAs. The High Court subsequently transferred the case from the SIT to the CBI.
Three people - Ramachandra Bharati alias Satish Sharma, Nandu Kumar and Simhayaji Swamy — were already named as accused in the case after a complaint was lodged by BRS MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy, among four legislators, against them on October 26.
The trio was arrested while they were allegedly trying to lure the four MLAs of the ruling BRS to join the BJP. Recently, they were granted bail by the High Court.
As per the FIR copy, Mr. Reddy alleged that the accused offered him ₹100 crore and in return the legislator had to leave the TRS, now BRS, and contest as a BJP candidate in the next Assembly election. They had allegedly asked Mr. Reddy to bring more BRS MLAs by offering ₹50 crore each to join the BJP.