BRS MLAs’ poaching: Telangana approaches SC against transfer of probe to CBI

NEW DELHI: The Telangana Government on Tuesday approached the Supreme Court opposing the Telangana High Court decision ordering the transfer of investigation into the BRS MLAs’ poaching case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A Division Bench of the Telangana High Court has recently refused to stay a single-judge order transferring the case investigation from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the State Government to the Central agency. Opposing the Telangana High Court ruling, the Telangana Government on Tuesday approached the apex court with a petition.

Senior counsel Dushyant Dave, representing the Telangana Government, requested the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud to immediately take up the Telangana Government petition for hearing. He expressed the concern that all the evidence in the case could be destroyed if the CBI began its investigation.

Responding to Dave’s plea, CJI Chandrachud asked the senior counsel to bring the matter to the notice of the division bench on Wednesday. Even if it was not mentioned on Wednesday, the petition would come up for hearing next week, the CJI assured Dave.

Three persons – Ramachandra Bharati, Simhayaji and nandu Kumar – were arrested in the last week of October, 2022, after they were caught in a Cyberabad police raid while negotiating a deal to poach at least four Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs as part of a suspected conspiracy to topple the State Government.

Based on the audio and video evidence recorded during the sting operation at the Moinabad Farmhouse, the SIT – formed subsequently by the State Government – not only interrogated the three arrested accused but also issued notices to a few others on suspicion of their involvement in the sensational poaching scandal. Among those summoned a few times by the SIT for questioning were BJP national general secretary B L Santhosh and Kerala’s Bharat Dharmika Jana Sena founder Tushar Vellapally.

The Telangana High Court which annulled the SIT notices to the respondents, later also ordered the transfer of the case investigation to the CBI, after hearing the petitions filed by the BJP and some of the suspects.