Court: Can’t make AP take Jagan stand

By S A Ishaqui

Hyderabad, Aug 2 : The AP High Court on Tuesday was not inclined to insist that the state government spell out its stand on petitions seeking a CBI probe into alleged amassing of wealth by the YSR Congress president, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Mr K.T.S. Tulsi, senior counsel appearing for Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy, contended that the fate and political future of his client depended on the stand being taken by the government as the allegations have been levelled against him by none other than a member of the present council of ministers.

Mr Tulsi also pointed out that none of the Government Orders giving land allotments to firms associated with Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy have been challenged and cautioned that the High Court should be careful when such wild and reckless allegations are made.

Jagan says plea against him has political slant

Mr K.T.S. Tulsi, senior counsel appearing for Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy, said if an investigation was ordered on him, nearly 75 per cent of the Cabinet will be under investigation.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Nisar Ahmad Kakru and Justice Vilas V. Afzulpurkar of the AP High Court was hearing the suo motu plea based on a letter by Mr P. Shankar Rao, the textiles minister alleging disproportionate assets of Mr Jagan.While urging the bench to insist that the government spell out its stand, Mr Tulsi said it cannot hide behind the court to gain credibility for its baseless allegations.

Indicating disinclination of the bench to insist that the state spells out its stand, Chief Justice Kakru said, “We issued notice to the government and we granted time but it did not respond.”

Mr Tulsi’s contention was that the petitions against his client were political and personal and therefore should not be entertained, and based on such pleas, the court cannot order a probe.He said a day after the decision of his client to quit the Congress, the letter of the MLA (Mr Shankar Rao) had landed in the High Court with an intention to compel his client not to resign from the party.

Mr Tulsi alleged that Mr Shankar Rao was rewarded with a Cabinet berth just a week after writing the letter.Mr Tulsi argued that the investors paid a premium to buy shares in Mr Jagan’s firms, including Bharati Cements and Jagati Publications, after following the progress and success of his ventures.

He said the Vanpic project was actually awarded to the Kingdom of Ras-al-Khaima, which in turn roped in Mr N. Prasad, ex-promoter of Matrix Laboratories, as a local partner.

Mr L. Nageswara Rao, senior counsel for Mr N. Prasad objected to the petitioners terming the Vanpic project illegal. He said after filing the writs the state did not scrap the project nor did it change any earlier policy under which such projects were awarded.

The counsels representing other respondent firms in the pleas told the court that their clients had made investments only on business considerations.

CBI submits ‘damning’ report on Jagan assets

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad,July 26: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday submitted its preliminary inquiry reports into the alleged amassing of wealth by the YSR Congress president, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, and controversial land deals of the AP Industrial Corporation, in sealed covers to the AP High Court.
CBI sources said that there was prima facie evidence of irregularities in land allotments made to many companies, which had in turn invested huge amounts of money in Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s company during YSR’s regime. The CBI said that these had been brought to the notice of the High Court through the preliminary inquiry report and it was now up to the court to pass appropriate orders for further investigation.

The Joint director of the CBI, Mr V. Lakshmi-narayana, submitted four sealed covers to the registry at the High Court on Tuesday. The High Court has listed the petitions for hearing on Wednesday. The High Court, on July 11 and 12, had passed orders directing the CBI to initiate a probe against Emaar Properties and the YSR Congress chief and had asked them to complete it within two weeks.

HC to decide on giving CBI probe report

The Central Bureau of Investigation has sought directions from the High Court regarding the Supreme Court’s permission to furnish copies of the reports to the Kadapa MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Tuesday. The Kadapa MP and three other companies had challenged the High Court’s order before the apex court.

While dismissing their petition, a Bench of the apex court had observed that the respondents might seek the copies of the report. Sources said that the High Court thus issued necessary instructions to the CBI for furnishing copies of the reports to Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy and his associates. The High Court had asked the CBI to probe into Emaar and Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s assets following two letters from the textile minister, Dr P. Shankar Rao, and the TD leader, Mr Yerrannaidu, and others.

APIIC defends stalling registration

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad,July 23: The AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) defended its stand before the AP High Court in stalling the registration of properties to purchasers by the Emaar Properties Ltd. Earlier, the APIIC had asked the state government to restrain the Stamps and Registration department from registering the properties by Emaar and subsequently the government issued a GO. The High Court granted stay on the GO on a plea by Ms Boulder Hills Villas Owners Association questioning the government’s action in stalling registrations. The HC asked APIIC to file its reply to the plea.

The APIIC in its counter affidavit contended that it is a public sector entity which is part and parcel of the state, it has the power to stop registrations under the Section 22(A)(1)(e) of the Registrations Act.
It told the court that the Boulder Hills Association could not furnish either the list of its members or its own registration certificate. The APIIC brought to the notice of the court that when it noticed several violations of agreements between it and Emaar, it initiated civil and criminal action against the company by filing cases before appropriate authorities. The corporation said according to the agreement Emaar Properties can sell the property and not the Emaar MGF, which had no title over the property. It also said that customers had no right to approach the HC against the GO, as Emaar cheated them by registering properties through Emaar MGF, which had no such power.

Court notice to TRS on bandh

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad, July 14 : A division bench of Chief Justice Nisar Ahmad Kakru and Justice Vilas V. Afzulpurkar of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday issued notice to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti president, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the Telangana Joint Action Committee (political) convener, Prof. Kodandaram, and also the Centre and the state governments, on a petition questioning the ongoing rail roko.

The bench was hearing a plea by the president of the Warangal district consumer forum, Mr S. Chakrapani, seeking a direction to declare the action of the government in not taking any steps, including preventive methods, to restrain the TRS and the TJAC from conducting the rail roko agitation, as arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional.

Mr Chakrapani told the court that various political parties in the Telangana region resorted to various agitations to demand that the Union of India introduce the Telangana Bill, and in that process the people of the state, particularly in Telangana, are put to so much inconvenience and deprived of their personal liberty and their livelihood, which is against Article 21 of the Constitution.

Enumerating the recent agitations — bandhs, rasta rokos and rail rokos — organised by various parties including the TRS and the TJAC, he urged the court to recover damages caused to public and private properties due to these bandhs and other agitations, from the political parties that inflicted them.

The bench directed the respondents to file their replies to the plea within two weeks

Dinesh posting challenged

By S A Ishaqui

Hyderabad, July 7 :

The controversy surrounding the appointment of the DGP refused to die down as another petition came up before the Central Administrative Tribunal on Thursday challenging the appointment of Mr V. Dinesh Reddy as the head of Police Force (HOPF).

The petition was filed in the Central Administrative Tribunal by the principal secretary to the home department, Mr P. Gautam Kumar.

It may be noted that the CAT had earlier quashed the appointment of Mr K. Aravinda Rao as DGP terming it as illegal on a petition also filed by Mr Gautam Kumar.

The CAT had directed the state government to send a panel of six senior officers to the Union Public Service Commission to enable it to prepare a panel for the selection of the new DGP.