The Banjara Hills Police filed a prisoner trial warrant in Nampally court, seeking Nanda Kumar's custody for sub-leasing property to two entrepreneurs.
GHMC demolished ‘unauthorised’ construction of accused in Cash for MLAs case (Screengrab)
There was no respite for the three accused in the Cash for MLAs case on Monday, 14 November, with one court in Hyderabad rejecting their bail application and the Supreme Court deferring a hearing by a week.
Adding to it, two persons approached the Banjara Hills police with a complaint of cheating against one of the accused, city hotelier Nanda Kumar.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), launched action against two “unauthorised” structures that inside Deccan Kitchen, a restaurant on Kumar’s Jubilee Hills property.
Besides Kumar, the other accused are Ramachandra Bharathi, a Faridabad-based priest with roots in Kerala, and Sima Yajulu, a Tirupati pontiff.
Meanwhile, the four TRS MLAs — Pilot Rohit Reddy, B Harshavardhan Reddy, Guvvala Balaraju and Rega Kantarao — targeted by suspected BJP emissaries, also lodged separate complaints, saying there were being threatened.
The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) court rejected the accused person’s bail petition after counsel for the police argued that granting them bail while the investigation was in progress would hamper the efforts to get to the bottom of the case. The three accused are in the Chanchalguda prison now.
Accused in Cash for MLA row (from left) Nanda Kumar of Hyderabad, Sima Yajulu of Tirupati, and Ramachandra Bharathi, alias Satish Sharma, a resident of Faridabad near Delhi.
(Supplied)
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing on bail petitions moved for the three accused when their counsel informed the apex court that the trial court was hearing a similar petition. The apex court will now hear the matter on Monday, 21 November.
Meanwhile, police registered two more cases against Kumar at Banjara Hills Police Station, based on complaints of two persons who had taken land on lease from him. One of them had set up Deccan Kitchen, where the “authorised” constructions were demolished.
One of the complainants, Aiaz, told the police that he had taken on lease 3,000 sq ft by paying ₹12 lakh as advance. The deal was to pay ₹2 lakh as rent and 10 percent share in profits.
The complainant said he later came to know that the land was sub-leased to him. Kumar had taken the property on lease from film producer Daggubati Suresh and actor Venkatesh.
On knowing the truth, Aiaz demanded his money back. Instead of returning the money, Kumar allegedly began threatening him.
Another person Sandeep, who was running a mobile shop, took on lease 700 square yards near Deccan Kitchen from Kumar. He had paid an advance of ₹12 lakh and consented to pay ₹1.5 lakh monthly as rent.
He had already spent ₹50 lakh to develop the land when he learnt that the land actually belonged to the Daggubati family.
Based on these two complaints, the Banjara Hills police filed a prisoner trial (PT) warrant in Nampally court, seeking Nanda Kumar’s custody. The police are awaiting the court’s orders.
Meanwhile, a supervisor at the site told South First that the GHMC razed the construction on an adjacent plot, and not on the one Nanda Kumar had leased out to the restaurant. The supervisor refused to identify himself.
He added that the restaurant was locked in a legal battle with the outlet of an international coffee chain next door.
The four MLAs, who were allegedly lured with money and lucrative posts to join the BJP, lodged a complaint with the police that they were receiving threatening calls from UP and Gujarat. The police registered cases at Raidurgam, Banjara Hills, Ghatkesar, and Gachibowli stations.
Meanwhile, the special investigation team constituted by the Telangana government is delving deep into the case to identify the behind-the-scene actors in the alleged poaching case.
When the accused men’s bail petitions were taken up for hearing in the Supreme Court on Monday, 14 November, the court was told that the ACB court was hearing the case, and its order was expected at 4 pm.
A bench comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice Vikram Nath adjourned the matter to 21 November.
The three accused approached the apex court challenging a Telangana High Court order remanding them to judicial custody on 29 October.
The Supreme Court had on 7 November adjourned the hearing as senior advocate KV Viswanathan, appearing for the accused, informed the court that the bail plea of the accused was being heard by the special court in Telangana on that day.
Vishwanathan had argued that the three accused were arrested against the orders of the Supreme Court. Section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure says that no arrest should be made without giving notice in cases where the punishment is less than seven years, he had told the court.
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