Telangana HC transfers BRS MLAs' poaching case probe to CBI; places under suspension
Adding a major twist to the BRS MLAs' poaching scandal, the Telangana High Court ordered the transfer of the investigation to the CBI.
- Telangana
NewsTAP Bureau- Updated On:26 Dec 2022 2:44 PM GMT
HYDERABAD: Adding a major twist to the BRS MLAs' poaching scandal, the Telangana High Court on Monday ordered the transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). A Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Telangana Government, has so far been probing the case. The High Court however placed the order under suspension, heeding to the request of the Telangana government to this effect. The advocate general requested the High Court to place the implementation under suspension until the receipt of the copy of the order.
The SIT has already questioned the three main accused in the case – Ramachandra Bharathi, Simhayaji and Nandu Kumar. The accused were arrested before being let off on bail by the courts.
The Telangana High Court gave its directions for the transfer of the case to the CBI, based on petitions filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the accused in the sensational case. The petitioners sought the transfer of the case to the CBI, citing lack of trust in the probe being carried out by the Telangana government-ordered SIT. Taking cognisance of the petitioners' prayers, the High Court ordered the transfer of the case to the central agency.
Arguing on behalf of the SIT, the Telangana Advocate General tried to impress upon the court stating that the transfer of the case would serve no purpose at this juncture. He appealed to the High Court to allow the continuation of the SIT probe which, he said, had made progress.
However, the Telangana High Court refused to consider the argument of the advocate general and instead ordered the SIT to hand over all the case details collected as part of its investigation to the CBI.
The SIT, prior to the High Court's intervention, has also served notices to a few other suspects in the case including BJP national leader B L Santhosh and Thushar Vellapally. However, the Telangana High Court has stayed them based on the petitions filed by the suspects.
