TRS MLAs' poaching: Telangana HC allows police probe, lifts stay

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday allowed investigation into the recent sensational farmhouse poachgate targeting four TRS MLAs, by lifting an interim stay on the probe by the Cyberabad police.

The High Court ruled that the police could proceed with their investigation process in the case. It also kept in abeyance a petition filed by the BJP seeking the transfer of the case from the Cyberabad Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The three accused in the case, Ramachandra Bharti alias Satish Sharma, Simhayaji and Nanda Kumar alias Nandu, have been remanded and are currently lodged at the Chanchalguda prison near here.

The three were arrested on October 29, a few days after they were caught while allegedly trying to poach a few TRS MLAs by luring them with heavy enticements at a farmhouse in Moinabad on October 26. The police alleged that the three made attempts to broker a deal as part of a larger conspiracy to engineer a split in the TRS and thereby topple its government.

The arrests were made after the Telangana High Court set aside a lower court's decision rejecting the request for their remand and asked the accused to surrender before the police.

An ACB court, on October 27, rejected the request for their remand made by the Cyberabad police for not following the due procedure of serving a notice before their arrest. The Cyberabad police subsequently went for an appeal in the High Court, challenging the lower court ruling. An interim stay imposed on the police probe into the case has finally been lifted by the High Court on Tuesday, paving the way for investigation into the case with possible interrogation of the accused.