NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday asked Telanagana Chief Minister, A Revanth Reddy, and others accused in the 2015 cash-for-votes case, to file their replies within two weeks. It observed that “when somebody holds such a high office, some restraint is expected,” while commenting on Reddy’s remarks on courts orders.
A two-judge bench of the apex court, led by Justice B R Gavai and Justice K V Viswanathan, while asking Reddy and others to file their reply, fixed the natter for further hearing after two weeks.
The apex court commented and expressed its displeasure over a submission made before it regarding courts and lawyers of with the recent remarks made by Reddy on certain SC orders. It observed that there must be some restraint expected from someone who holds a high office.
“When somebody holds such a high office, some restraint is expected. People at the highest constitutional post must remain careful,” the apex court said.
These remakes from the top court came, as Reddy had recently questioned how BRS MLC K Kavitha got bail in five months, when Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia got it only after 15 months and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is yet to receive it.
He also hinted at an alleged deal between the BJP and BRS for securing bail for Kavitha. These statements of the Telangana CM did not go down well, as the apex court took it strongly recently and questioned Reddy, as to how a constitutional functionary can comment about the SC verdict?
The apex court was hearing a plea filed by 4 BRS lawmakers — including that of BRS MLA Guntakandla Jagadish Reddy — to transfer the trial against Telangana CM, Reddy in the 2015 cash-for-votes scam to a court outside Telangana.
The apex court also said that there are floods in Telangana. We are even looking into that aspect. Let the respondents file a reply in this.
Senior Advocate Aryama Sundaram, for Jagadish Reddy, said that he is the Home Minister in charge of ACB, ACB prosecution has to report to him. He was in charge of the prosecutioneye witnesses are yet to be examined.
After hearing this, the apex court said, “We are sensitive to all this.”
The petition, of Jagadish Reddy and others, filed before the apex court, said that a fair trial was almost impossible and could not take place in the state as Revanth Reddy is currently the CM as well as the Home Minister.
In the plea filed through advocate P Mohith Rao, Guntakandla Reddy said, “That most of the prosecution witnesses were examined in Chief and the Accused No.1 (Revanth Reddy) being the Chief and Home Minister for the State of Telangana can directly influence the de facto Complainant and officers pressurizing them to defer/ resile from their earlier statements and further to depose false and there is every possibility that the officers/ de facto Complainant will resile/defer from their earlier statements or will depose false under the threat.”
Reddy had been arrested after allegedly being caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Telangana on May 31, 2015, for illegal offering Rs 50 lakh to a nominated MLC, Elvis Stephenson, to vote in favour of the TDP candidate. Reddy was a TDP MLA at the time.
