SC notice to Andhra CM on plea for cancellation of 2013 bail, end to exemption from personal appearance

Advocate Balaji Srinivasan, representin the petitioner Raghu Ramakrishna Raju — a rebel Lok Sabha MP of Chief Minister Jagan’s YSRCP party — said that the top court has been moved challenging the 26 August, 2022, Telangana High Court order granting Jagan Mohan a permanent exemption from appearance in the criminal trial.

The petitioner Raju has also challenged the 28 October, 2022, high court order dismissing his plea seeking the cancellation of bail to Jagan Mohan.

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Timeline of the court case

Referring to the petition, advocate Balaji Srinivasan said that it was a case where the income of Jagan Mohan saw an exponential increase after his late father YS Rajasekhara Reddy became Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister in 2004.

The Telangana High Court, on 26 August, 2022, had granted permanent exemption to Jagan Mohan from appearing before the trial court proceedings.

On 28 October, 2022, the high court had dismissed the plea by Raju seeking the cancellation of bail to Jagan Mohan.

On 8 September 2022, the high court had stayed the proceedings in the PMLA case until the determination of predicate offences.

On 3 November, the Supreme Court had issued notice to Jagan Mohan, the CBI, and others on a plea by Raghu Ramakrishna Raju seeking the transfer of cases instituted in between 2012 and 2014 outside Telangana, preferably in Delhi, as there has been no progress in these cases.

Balaji Srinivasan said that in one FIR, 11 charge sheets have been filed by the CBI which had investigated the case.

In the earlier case in which notice was issued on 3 November, besides Chief Minister Jagan and the CBI, 10 more respondents, including individuals and the companies, have been issued notices.

The case being sought to be transferred is pending before a Hyderabad Special CBI Court, advocate Balaji Srinivasan had said that adjournments have been taken 800 times.

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Background of the case

The petitioner Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, while seeking the transfer of case to Delhi, has alleged that the CBI has been manipulated to suit Jagan Mohan Reddy and has ensured that the criminal cases against him remain dormant and no fruitful steps are taken against him.

The transfer petitioner has alleged that the CBI is a “silent spectator” to the abuse of the process of the court. He has further alleged that both Jagan Reddy and the CBI are engaged in a friendly match.

The petitioner has alleged that Jagan Mohan has been given a free hand to simply have adjournments of trial at his instance, with no opposition by the prosecuting agency, the CBI.

“There are no signs of the trials starting in the cases in the foreseeable future,” the petitioner said.

The transfer petition has alleged that the accused has illegally and unjustly enriched himself to the tune of ₹40,000 crore.

Shockingly, the state machinery has been more than happy to be silent spectators to this abuse of the processes of the courts, turning the criminal trials into “friendly matches” between the accused and prosecution, the petition said.