Jagan case: Directive to CBI

By S A Ishaqui

Hyderabad, Dec 20: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday directed the CBI to place the police custody and remand reports regarding the arrest of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy before it on Thursday.

Justice B. Seshasayana Reddy was hearing Reddy’s statutory bail application, while Additional Solicitor General Haren P. Raval was representing the CBI.

The judge said that he will give his decision on Thursday.

The CBI counsel faced a tough time as the judge posed several questions to him regarding the arrest of the Kadapa MP and YSRC chief, the prime accused in an illegal investments case.

The judge asked the CBI whether the accused was arrested only regarding the Vanpic case or in connection with all the other cases registered against him.

CBI counsel Raval said that the arrest was in the Vanpic case alone and not in the seven other cases, and that there was no question of bail on those issues.

The judge asked whether the CBI had assured the SC that it would complete the investigation in three months and that it be over by Januray second week.

The CBI counsel replied that Mohan Parasaran, another solicitor-general, appeared at the Supreme Court to argue on the bail petition of Jagan. He submitted before SC that the CBI is investigating expeditiously and assured that the probe will be completed without delay. Parasaran had also said that that a final chargesheet will be filed after completion of the investigation.

Based on Parasaran’s submission, the Supreme Court said that it was not inclined to interfere in the matter at this stage and accordingly dismissed the bail plea of Jagan on October 5, Raval added. Then the judge enquired whether the accused had filed the SLP before completion of 90 days of arrest and directed the CBI and the counsel for Jagan to file affidavits on the issue.

The judge also asked the CBI to place before the court the counter affidavits filed before the Supreme Court.

Raval urged the court not to grant bail to the accused as the investigation is at a very crucial stage and the petitioner, being politically and economically influential, would impede the probe.