AP HC Reserves Verdict on Jagan’s Passport Issue

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh High Court has completed its hearings on a plea filed by former CM and Pulivendula MLA Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on curbs imposed on the issuance of a passport to him by a city court and his request to reserve its verdict. A single-judge bench headed by Justice V.R.K. Krupasagar held a hearing here on Monday and deferred the verdict to September 11.

Jagan Reddy’s counsel submitted to the court that the CBI court in Hyderabad permitted a five-year passport to his client to visit London to meet his daughter between September 3 and 25 while a special court for MPs and MLAs in Vijayawada granted permission only for a one-year passport stating that Jagan Reddy has a defamation case pending against him. The counsel argued that it was inappropriate on the part of the city court to issue such a direction given the fact that his client went abroad several times and caused no trouble.

However, public prosecutor M. Lakshminarayana argued that the direction given by the city court was appropriate and ruled out any reason for the city court to refer to the CBI court’s decision. He submitted that Jagan Reddy was unwilling to visit the city court to submit personal surety and moved the High Court. After hearing both the parties, the court announced that the verdict would be delivered on September 11.