SC issued the notice after it was informed that there has been no progress in the case, which has seen 800 adjournments.
Published Nov 03, 2023 | 7:02 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 03, 2023 | 7:02 PM
Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan. (X)
The Supreme Court on Friday, 3 November, issued notice to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and the CBI, among others, on a petition seeking the transfer of a disproportionate assets case aganst him outside Telangana — preferably to Delhi.
The case being sought to be transferred is pending before a Hyderabad Special CBI Court.
The petitioner Raghu Rama Krishna Raju — a rebel MP from Jagan’s own party, the YSRCP — has alleged that the CBI has been manipulated to suit the chief minister and that there had been no progress in the case, which was instituted between 2012 and 2014.
A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice SVN Bhatti issued the notices.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Balaji Srinivasan informed the court that the case has seen 800 adjournments.
Besides Jagan and the CBI, 10 more respondents — including individuals and companies — have been issued notices.
The CBI has ensured that the criminal cases against Jagan remain dormant and no fruitful steps have been taken against him, alleged the petitioner.
The petitioner claimed that the CBI has been a silent spectator to the abuse of the processes of the court. The petition also said that both Jagan and the CBI are engaged in a friendly match.
The petitioner claimed that Jagan has been given a free hand and trials have been adjourned at his instance with no opposition by the prosecuting agency — the CBI.
“There are no signs of the trials starting in the cases in foreseeable future,” claimed the petitioner.
The petition alleged that the accused has illegally and unjustly enriched himself to the tune of ₹40,000 crore.
The petition has also alleged that the state machinery have been more than happy to watch silently watch as the processes of the courts have been turned into “friendly matches” between accused and the prosecution.
The industrialist-turned-politician Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, also known as RRR, has been at loggerheads with his own YSRC party and its leaders. Once close to the late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, Raju entered politics through his son YS Jagan’s party.
After being denied a ticket in the 2014 parliament election, Raju joined the BJP. Expressing dissatisfaction over the saffron party’s functioning, he left in 2018 to join the TDP.
In a surprising turn of events leading up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Raju returned to his debut party, YSRCP, ran for Narasapuram MP, and emerged victorious.
Within a year, however, the MP was displaying strained his ties with Chief Minister Jagan. He openly criticised Jagan for various decisions, including the three-capitals plan. A sedition case was filed against him in 2021, leading to his arrest by the Andhra Pradesh CID. However, he was granted bail by the Supreme Court.
Interestingly, he has not yet been suspended from the party, but YSRCP has requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to disqualify him. The matter that is still pending.
