CBI court refuses to cancel Andhra CM's bail in quid pro quo case

Hyderabad, Sep 15 (IANS) A CBI court on Wednesday dismissed the petitions of rebel YSRCP MP K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju for cancellation of bail given to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and MP V. Vijaya Sai Reddy in the quid pro quo case.

The court of the principal special judge pronounced the orders which were reserved on August 25.

Raju had filed the petitions in April this year seeking cancellation of bail of Jagan, as the Andhra Chief Minister is popularly known, and his close aide Vijaya Sai Reddy on the ground of alleged violation of bail conditions.

Raju, a member of Lok Sabha from Narsapur, also voiced the apprehension that Jagan may try to influence the witnesses in the case. He cited Jagan's non-appearance before the trial court and seeking exemptions as violations of bail conditions.

Jagan, who became Chief Minister in May 2019, has been seeking exemptions from weekly court appearances citing his constitutional duties.

Raju, in his petition, had also mentioned the appointment of accused IAS officer Y. Srilakshmi as a Special Chief Secretary and retired IAS officer and co accused M. Samuel as an advisor to the government.

The MP argued that since all the witnesses cited by the prosecution in the quid pro quo case have now become subjects of Jagan, he may influence them not to depose against him before the trial court.

However, Jagan and Vijaya Sai Reddy had submitted to the court that they did not violate any bail conditions. They claimed that Raju filed the petitions for political and personal gains.

In his counter-affidavit, the Chief Minister alleged that Raju is trying to use the court as a platform to settle personal scores. He described the MP as a dishonest man, who defrauded banks.

On Raju's allegation that he is influencing an coercing witnesses, he said the petitioner did not show a single instance.

Describing Raju's petition as an attempt to tarnish his reputation, Jagan claimed that the petitioner failed to make out a case for cancellation of bail.

Reacting to the CBI court verdict, the rebel MP said he would challenge it in a higher court.

"The CBI court dismissed the bail cancellation petition filed by me at last. I'll approach the upper court soon," he tweeted.

The CBI court pronounced its orders a few hours after the Telangana High Court declined to transfer's petitions to any other court.

Raju had also sought a stay on pronouncement of orders by the CBI court. The High Court, while dismissing Raju's plea, observed that there should be reasonable grounds for seeking transfer of a case from one court to the other, and felt that the petitioner is seeking the transfer on imaginary grounds.

Raju while seeking the transfer of petitions had expressed his apprehensions citing the permission given by the trial court to Vijaya Sai Reddy to undertake foreign tours.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had had opposed Raju's petition. It's counsel submitted to the court that judges deliver such reliefs to scores of individuals.

The allegations against Jagan relate to the period 2004-2009, when his father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate probed the allegations that Jagan, in criminal conspiracy with others, received bribes from various persons/companies in the guise of investments in his group companies as 'quid pro quo' for undue favours granted to them by the then Andhra Pradesh government.

Jagan was arrested in May 2012 when he was an MP, and granted conditional bail by a special CBI court in 2013.