CBI court dismisses two pleas of Jagan

Hyderabad: In a setback to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, a CBI special court hearing the disproportionate assets case against him on Friday, dismissed his petition seeking a hearing of Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases only after the completion of the hearing on the CBI cases.

The court agreed with the ED's argument that the cases registered by both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED should be tried simultaneously.

Reddy, who personally appeared in the court on January 10, had moved the petition, pleading the court to take up hearing into the ED cases only after completing the hearing in the CBI cases. The court also struck down the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief's petition of clubbing all the charge-sheets filed in the case. Reddy, who had made first personal appearance in the court since assuming office as the Chief Minister in May last year, had sought exemption from personal attendance this week. The CBI court hears the case every Friday.

The court on Friday began hearing on the charge-sheet in the Penna Cement case, one of 11 cases registered by the federal agency. All the other accused in the case appeared in the court. They included Telangana Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, YSR Congress Rajya Sabha MP V Vijayasai Reddy, former Andhra Pradesh Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao and IAS officer Srilakshmi. The CBI had filed 11 chargesheets against Jagan and others.