MLAs poaching case: Telangana High Court upholds single bench order

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday dismissed an appeal by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) challenging order of a special ACB court which had aside a memo to array BJP national General Secretary B.L. Santhosh and three others as accused in the MLAs' poaching case. The ACB special court had last month rejected the memo and the SIT had challenged this in the High Court.

The ACB special court had observed neither police nor SIT is competent to investigate the offences relating to the Prevention of Corruption Act and only the Special Police Establishment/Anti-Corruption Bureau is the competent authority to do so. Arguing in the High Court, Advocate General B.S. Prasad had submitted that the ACB court crossed its limits with the order rejecting the memo.

He submitted to the court that the SIT decided to add Santhosh, Kerala politician Tushar Vellapally, Kerala-based doctor Jaggu Swamy, and lawyer B. Srinivas as accused in the case on the basis of evidence found against them during the course of investigation. Three alleged agents of the BJP were arrested by the Cyberabad police from a farmhouse at Moinabad near Hyderabad on the night of October 26 when they were allegedly trying to lure four MLAs of BRS with offers of huge money.

Cyberabad police conducted the raid on a tip-off by Pilot Rohit Reddy, one of the MLAs. He alleged that the accused offered Rs 100 crore to him and Rs 50 crore each to three others. The SIT headed by Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand had served notices to Santhosh, and the others for questioning.

The High Court on December 1 granted bail to three accused in the case. On the petitions by the accused, the High Court on December 26 transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation and set aside the Government Order constituting the SIT.