Rebel YSR Congress party MP from Narasapuram Kanumuru Raghurama Krishnam Raju might have been out on bail granted by the Supreme Court in connection with the sedition case filed by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID), but technically he is still in judicial remand.
In fact, the CID court has extended the judicial remand of Raghurama Krihsnam Raju till June 25, though he is already out of the remand and has been staying in New Delhi, dashing off letters to chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy almost every day.
Reason: the Guntur jail authorities have failed to take his signature on the bail bond and personal surety papers, while he was being discharged from the Army Hospital in Secunderabad.
Raju, who was arrested by the CID police on May 14, was granted bail by the Supreme Court on May 21, after a lot of high drama which led to his admission in the Army Hospital in Secunderabad.
The Supreme Court asked him to submit two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each within 10 days of his discharge from the hospital.
On May 26, Raju was suddenly discharged from the hospital and he immediately rushed to New Delhi in a special flight.
On May 28, Raju’s lawyers furnished the two securities to the CID court as ordered by the apex court and the same was accepted by it.
On the same day, this court forwarded the bail bond and sureties bond to the District Jail, Guntur to get the signature of the accused thereon with a covering letter.
On June 10, the superintendent of District Jail addressed a letter to the CID court by returning the bail bond and sureties bond without obtaining the signature of the accused on the bail bond, stating that Raju was not in jail and had been staying in New Delhi.
CID court judge Justice Aruna took the issue seriously and served a memo on the jail superintendent as to why he had failed to get the signatures of Raju at the time of discharge from the hospital or at least after that.
"When the jail superintendent failed to get the signature of the accused on bail bond and simply returned the same to this court, it may be treated as the accused is not released from judicial custody,” the court said.
Till Raju signs on the bail bond and gets the release order from the court, the remand warrant deems to be still pending before the District Jail, Guntur.
“In that situation it is noted that the accused is not produced from District Jail Guntur and hence, his remand is extended till June 25," the court said in its order.
