HC relief for bureaucrat Muralidhar Reddy in Jagan cases

HYDERABAD: In a relief to IAS officer Muralidhar Reddy, accused in the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s  disproportionate assets cases, the Telangana High Court on Friday allowed his petition for quashing  of the case registered against him by the CBI.

Muralidhar Reddy is accused number 12 in the Lepakshi Knowledge Hub case. The CBI had alleged  that the bureaucrat had played a key role in allocating land to Indu Group at Lepakshi Knowledge Hub in Anantapur. A case has been pending against him before the CBI court. He had requested the High Court to quash the case.

Not agreeing with the contentions of the CBI, the High Court was of the view that the main allegations against Muralidhar Reddy on the basis of which IPC related offences have been alleged to have been committed by him, were intrinsically connected with the discharge of official duty.

Therefore, the protection under Section 197 CrPC cannot be denied to him and the stand taken by the CBI that no previous sanction is required to prosecute him for the IPC related offences is unsustainable in law and on facts.