K. Venkateshwarlu
Hyderabad
Challenging the High Court’s verdict of handing over the MLAs’ poaching case to the CBI, the Telangana Government approached the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Government Counsel Dushyanth Dave asked the SC Chief Justice’s bench to consider the petition immediately. He expressed concern that if the CBI investigates the case all evidence will be destroyed.
The CJI clarified that if these matters are brought to the notice of the bench on Wednesday, they will allow a hearing next week itself.
The State government had approached the High Court seeking a stay on the decision to hand over the MLAs’ purchase case to the CBI. The government asked the High Court to suspend its verdict for three weeks to challenge it in the Supreme Court. The government filed this petition in the High Court on Tuesday morning and approached the Supreme Court in the evening.
In fact, the Telangana High Court conducted a single bench hearing on the government’s petition in the Moinabad farmhouse case. A petition was filed to extend the suspension of the earlier order for three weeks.
The government requested the HC to stay the verdict so that it can go to the Supreme Court. The High Court asked the government whether the CBI has registered a case. The Advocate General told the High Court that the CBI has not yet registered a case and that the CBI is pressing to hand over the files.
The High Court asked how much time it would take to go to approach the Supreme Court. The AG replied that it would take a week to file the appeal.
Responding to AG’s comment, the Court directed the AG to take permission from the Chief Justice’s bench. The AG said that a mention will be made in the Chief Justice’s court on Wednesday. The single bench adjourned further hearing till Wednesday. BRS MLAs Guvvala Balaraju, Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy, Rega Kantha Rao and Pilot Rohit Reddy complained to the Moinabad police that they were offered money for quitting the BRS at the Moinabad farmhouse on October 26, 2022. As a result, the accused Ramachandra Bharati, Simhayaji and Nandakumar were arrested by the police. After that, the TSD government handed over the case to the SIT.
But the accused approached the High Court saying that the SIT’s investigation was not proper and that the case should be handed over to the CBI.
After hearing arguments on this petition, the High Court issued an order on December 26, 2022, disbanding the SIT and handed over the case to the CBI.
