This story is from January 25, 2020

CBI court orders Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy to attend January 31 hearing

Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy was directed by principal special judge BR Madhusudan Rao of CBI courts, Hyderabad, to be present before the court during the next hearing on January 31 in the quid pro quo case.
CBI court orders Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy to attend January 31 hearing
YS Jaganmohan Reddy
HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy was directed by principal special judge BR Madhusudan Rao of CBI courts, Hyderabad, to be present before the court during the next hearing on January 31 in the quid pro quo case.
The judge said this on Friday while allowing a plea to dispense with Jagan’s presence for the day’s hearing as he was preoccupied with important meetings in Amaravati. However, the judge made it clear that the chief minister must appear before the court at the next hearing.
In a separate order, the judge, who is also acting as a special judge for Enforcement Directorate cases, dismissed the plea of Jagan seeking permission of the court to allow a co-accused in ED cases to represent him in the ED court.
CBI had made Jagan accused No. 1 in 11 chargesheets it filed in the quid pro quo case where he was facing allegations of influencing his late father YS Rajasekhara Reddy in doling out public assets to select industrialists and businessmen when YSR was chief minister of unvided AP between 2004 and 2009.YSRC MP V Vijayasai Reddy, who was arrayed as accused No. 2 in all the chargesheets, however, appeared before the court on Friday.
Earlier, brushing aside the objections of IAS officer Manmohan Singh, who was made an accused in the Vanpic chargesheet in the quid pro quo case, the judge took into cognisance the role played by the accused officer in the case under section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act of 1988.
Manmohan’s counsel argued that since the state had refused to accord sanction to prosecute him, the Centre’s subsequent decision to grant a sanction order should not be taken into consideration. However, CBI counsel K Surender contended that the central government was the competent authority to accord sanction or reject it in respect of IAS officers since they are appointed by the Centre. “The state’s decision either way in such matters is inconsequential,” he argued.
The judge agreed with the CBI counsel’s argument and dismissed the plea of Manmohan. Now, the IAS officer will be tried under the provisions of PC Act too. Manmohan Singh was present in the court on Friday. The judge also dismissed the plea filed seeking removal of the names of Eswar Cements and Sajjala Diwakar Reddy from the accused list as the company is no more in existence. The company was merged with Dalmia Cements, which was made an accused in the Dalmia Cements chargesheet. Surender argued that criminal liability would remain with the original accused and it cannot be done away with because the company was merged with some other entity.
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