Hoping to get a stay on the notice issued to him to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED), BRS MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy did not appear before the central investigation agency on Tuesday, 27 December.
This is despite being asked to do so in connection with the case that has now come to be known as the “Cash for MLAs” case.
He has already appeared twice for questioning in the past few days and was due to appear a third time on Tuesday, but did not.
Respectfully declined
Rohith Reddy sent an email to the ED stating that he cannot present himself before them and that he has already filed a writ petition in the Telangana High Court against the issue of notices to him to appear before the agency.
The BRS lawmaker said, in the email, that he would not appear before the ED in this case unless the high court directs him to.
He insisted that he did not understand why the ED was calling him time and again, especially since he was a complainant in the case and not the accused. He added that there was no scope for any money laundering angle in this case in the first place.
Rohith Reddy, while addressing the media later, said that he suspected a conspiracy behind the ED summoning him for a third time. He stated that his petition in the high court would come up for hearing on Wednesday.
కేంద్రం కుట్రలకు తిప్పికొడుతూ.. ఈడీ నోటీసులను చాలెంజ్ చేస్తూ.. హైకోర్టులో రిట్ పిటిషన్ వేస్తున్న ఎమ్మెల్యే పైలెట్ రోహిత్ రెడ్డి గారికి పెద్ద ఎత్తున మద్దతు పలుకుతున్న తాండూరు ప్రజలు.#brsparty #CMKCR #KTR #mlapilotrohithreddy #tandur #TelanganaNews #TelanganaNotForSale pic.twitter.com/Nz0o3vrO1B
— Pilot Rohith Reddy (@PilotRohith) December 26, 2022
The BRS MLA stated that he took legal advice before making the decision to skip his ED appearance on Tuesday, where he discussed with them the pros and cons of not appearing when a notice was served on him.
Also Read: Twist in BRS MLA grilling: ED issues summons to businessman
In a related development, ED officials recorded the statement of Nanda Kumar Kore, one of the accused in the “Cash for MLAs” case. Kore is currently in Chanchalguda Central Jail, located in Hyderabad.
The ED reportedly grilled him on how he proposed to mobilise the funds that which were promised to Rohith Reddy and the three other MLAs, and also his business relations with Rohith Reddy and his brother Rithesh Reddy.
