BJP, not only thinks, but believes CBI is its pocket-borough. Shouldn’t Caeser’s wife be above suspicion?

HYDERABAD: The actions of Bharatiya Janata Party, when it comes to investigations into serious cases, are significantly lending credence to the charges by opposition parties that it is using the central agencies as its pocket-borough.

Take a look at the petition filed by the wife of an accused in the latest Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) case.

Ms Sucharitha, wife of Accused No.2 Atla Rajasekhar Reddy in the TSPSC question paper leakage case, approached the Telangana High Court seeking an investigation nby the Central bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case.

Sucharitha filed a petition on Monday seeking directions to the Special Investigation Team not to use third-degree methods, apart from a CBI probe, and listed Telangana Chief Secretary, Telangana Director-General of Police, SIT chief, Central zone Deputy Commissioner of Police of Hyderabad. The High Court felt that there was no need for giving any interim directions in the matter. The High Court also directed the petitioner to approach the court concerned, if she had any objections. Advocate representing the State Government informed the court that all procedures were being followed during the process of investigation.

As soon as the question paper leakage case saw the light of the day and the SIT arrested the accused persons, leaders of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) put out pictures in which Rajasekhar Reddy was seen closely associated with the BJP.

Minister K T Rama Rao also displayed numerous pictures of Rajasekhar Reddy rubbing shoulders with the BJP leaders and sporting the party scarf. He urged Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar to investigate into the matter and find out if there was any political conspiracy behind the question paper leakage, especially with a motive of discrediting the Telangana Government.

In fact, Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation chairman Krishank Manne tweeted the first set of photographs that showed Rajasekhar Reddy’s affiliation to the BJP.

It maybe recalled that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) approached the Telangana High Court seeking to implead in a petition filed by three accused persons – Ramachandra Bharathi, Simhayaji and Nandu Kumar – in the BRS MLAs’ poaching case seeking transfer the case to the CBI.

After multiple rounds of hearings and rulings by single judge, a division bench of the State High Court finally ruled that the matter be handed over to the CBI, stalling the proceedings of the SIT constituted under the leadership of Hyderabad City Police Commissioner C V Anand. However, the State Government approached the Supreme Court stating that CBI, being a central government agency and senior BJP leaders were named as accused in the case, the course of investigation could be vitiated.

Without passing any remarks on the plea of the State Government, the Supreme Court directed the CBI not to proceed with the investigation in the MLAs’ poaching case. A few days later, the apex court also directed the SIT also not to proceed with the investigation. The case was posted to a date after July 31, 2023.

The allegation of the opposition parties is that the BJP feels it can “influence” the denouement of the investigation, if the case was transferred to the CBI, which has always carried a smudge that it was ‘caged parrot’.

In the MLAs’ poaching case, when the petitioners (connected to the BJP) contended that the SIT was a State Government’s arm and they doubted of a fair trial was possible, the apex court asked how would a fair trial be possible if the CBI, a central government agency, conducted the probe.

By this logic, the apex investigative agency, would play into hands of the powers that be at the Centre.

The querulous issue here is that how conveniently the BJP leaders have taken the central agencies for granted to work in their favour.

Caeser’s wife, they say, should be above suspicion.