In a big relief to YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, a special CBI court in Hyderabad on Friday set aside a petition filed by the CBI seeking cancellation of his bail in the alleged quid pro quo case.
The court did not agree with the contention of the CBI that Jagan had tried to influence the key witness in the case by carrying his interview in Sakshi channel against the CBI.
What is more relieving for Jagan is that the court also permitted him to go on a summer holiday to New Zealand for 15 days along with his family between May 15 and June 15.
In its petition on May 28, the CBI pointed out to an interview given by former Andhra Pradesh chief secretary K Ramakanth Reddy to Sakshi Telugu television channel, promoted by Jagan’s family.
Reddy made some critical comments against the functioning of the CBI in Jagan’s case.
However, Jagan, in his counter affidavit, brushed aside the CBI charge, stating that he had nothing to with the interview given by Ramakanth Reddy to Sakshi television channel.
“Sakshi is an independent media house run by an editorial board. Therefore, I was no way connected with the interview.
Sakshi had conducted the interview as part of its professional duty. All that Ramakanth Reddy had stated was in response to various questions asked by the correspondent,” he argued.
The court agreed with Jagan’s contention and dismissed the CBI petition seeking cancellation of his bail.
The CBI had arrested Jagan in the disproportionate assets case on May 27, 2012. It had filed as many as 11 charge sheets against Jagan and others in the case.
It charged that various companies and individuals had made huge investments in Jagan’s business empire when his father Y S Rajasekhar Redddy was the chief minister.
These investments were as part of the quid pro quo deal with the government for granting favours to the companies in the form of land allotments, granting of licences, etc.
Thus, Jagan had amassed huge wealth misusing the office of his late father, the investigation agency alleged.
The YSR Congress party president was released on bail from Chanchalguda jail on September 25, 2013, nearly 16 months after his arrest.
