In a setback to former Information Technology advisor to previous YSR Congress party government in Andhra Pradesh Raj Kesireddy, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the petitions filed by him and his father Upender Reddy in the alleged liquor scam that took place during the previous regime.
A bench headed by Justice J B Parthiwala said the petitions for bail petitions had no merit as they had already been in judicial custody. So, the accused should seek bail through the appropriate lower court, it said.
Upender Reddy had filed a petition claiming that legal procedures were not followed at the time of his son’s arrest.
However, the Supreme Court found no merit in the petitions and ruled them out, directing the petitioners to explore legal recourse at the trial court level instead.
It may be recalled that the Supreme Court completed the hearing on Raj Kesireddy’s bail petition on Monday, challenging the legality of his arrest in the Andhra Pradesh liquor scam case.
Kasireddy's counsel argued that the reasons mentioned in the initial notice served in Hyderabad were different from those cited in the custody report.
They also stated that additional charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act were added only after Kasireddy was taken to Vijayawada.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the Andhra Pradesh government, contended that Kasireddy did not object to the PC Act either at the time of arrest or during custody, and is now raising new objections in the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Upender Reddy also challenged the notices issued by the CID officials from Andhra Pradesh to Raj Kesireddy in Telangana, which is another state.
Their senior counsel, Mahesh Jethmalani, also raised objections about the CID's jurisdiction in serving notices outside of Andhra Pradesh.
The court also suggested that the petitioners approach the Andhra Pradesh high court for bail.
