The alleged disproportionate assets case involving Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy came up for hearing before the Special CBI Court in Hyderabad on Friday following the directions issued by the Telangana High Court based on the Supreme Court’s order.
The Special CBI Court heard the case and postponed the hearing to 12 October. Jagan’s lawyer has filed a petition in the Special CBI Court expressing the Chief Minister’s inability to appear before the court and instead sought the hearing via video-conferencing.
On January 17 this year, the CBI special court rejected Jagan’s petition seeking postponement of money laundering cases filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate. The court, however, gave an exemption to Jagan, from personal appearance in connection with the disproportionate assets case and quid pro quo cases filed against him by the CBI.
Jagan had filed three petitions in the court: one seeking postponement of the hearing on ED cases till the trial into the CBI charge sheets is completed, another for clubbing of five CBI charge sheets, and the third on seeking permission for the representation of his co-accused for trial in the ED case in his absence.
The ED authorities argued that the money laundering cases were interlinked with the CBI cases and hence, both be heard simultaneously. The CBI court agreed with the ED and dismissed Jagan’s petition.
The counsel for Jagati Publications, Ashok Reddy, appeared before the court to present the arguments. Ashok Reddy informed the ED court that his client has appealed to the High Court for shifting the case to the Special CBI Court.
The Supreme Court had recently asked all the High Courts in the country to provide the requisite details of pending cases involving sitting or former legislators, to hear the matter on a day-to-day basis and dispose of the same expeditiously.
BJP leader Lanka Dinakar said, “CBI, ED and other cases are pending against Jagan Mohan Reddy and some others are in the CBI Court of Hyderabad. The Court, as a policy decision as per the directions of the Supreme Court, started the trials to dispose of the cases within the stipulated time frame and in front of law, all are equal and the law takes its course.”
He further said, “My question is how can such a person occupy the chair of Chief Minister, who has been facing trials in the court on corruption charges?”