Hyderabad: The CBI Court in Hyderabad is to hear the discharge petitions of 127 accused in the cases filed by CBI and ED over alleged quid pro quo and disproportionate assets of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy from June 19.
The cases were listed before the court on Wednesday and counsels for Jagan and others sought a short adjournment on technical grounds. Judge T. Raghuram made it clear that the hearing would be conducted regularly.
This comes in the background of the Telangana High Court orders, which had earlier asked the CBI Court to dispose of the cases within two months. However, due to the transfer of the earlier judge of the CBI Court, the judgment was not pronounced in the discharge petitions, though they were being heard.
Meanwhile, in separate petitions, the Telangana High Court had on Tuesday ordered the special court to start trial of MPs and MLAs to dispose of petitions that are pending for over five years. It also directed the registry to forward the order copy of the Supreme Court, which stated that there should be no further delay in petitions against present and former public representatives.
In the said circumstances, the CBI Court is set to hear the discharge petitions expeditiously. The cases have been pending for more than ten years.
Reportedly, the CBI is to file a petition to vacate the High Court’s decision in exempting Jagan Mohan Reddy from personal appearance before the CBI Court.
The High Court had in 2022 exempted the personal appearance of Jagan Mohan Reddy on every trial day and had allowed his authorised counsel to represent him before the CBI Court as being the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh he was required to work round the clock and attending every hearing could adversely affect the state administration. It also took into consideration the mandatory security protocol for Jagan Mohan Reddy, which could disrupt or affect appearance of other litigants and lawyers in the court on the day Jagan Mohan Reddy attends court.
As Tuesday’s election results have dramatically changed his political position, the CBI may file a petition to vacate the exemption given to Jagan Mohan Reddy regarding his personal appearance before the court.
