Hyderabad: Senior IAS officer Adityanath Das got relief on Monday with the Telangana High Court allowing his petition to quash the charges framed against him by the CBI in the YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's illegal investments cases.
Justice B. Shivashankar Rao pointed out that the government had not accorded sanction for Mr Das' prosecution which was required as per Section 197 of the CrPC.
The CBI had charged Mr Das with extending undue favors to India Cements by allotting water to its cement plants in Ranga Reddy district from the Kagna and Krishna rivers. It alleged that Mr Das had not followed the process of getting permission of the inter-state water resources department. In a quid pro quo, India Cements invested about '140 in Mr Reddy's companies, the CBI alleged.
The court opined that CBI had to get more information than depend on dates of allotment of water and India Cements' investments in Mr Reddy's companies. It considered the contentions of Mr Das' counsel that the water allotment was approved by the then Chief Minister and irrigation minister.
Mr Das is the second IAS officer after Ms K. Ratna Prabha to have charges quashed. The court has also quashed proceedings under Prevention of Corruption Act against IAS officers Sri Lakshmi and B.P. Acharya.
The court has stayed proceedings against IAS officers Manmohan Singh, Sam Bob, Mr Acharya, S.N. Mohanty, and M. Samuel.
