 appointed by the Telangana government to investigate the alleged attempts made by BJP to poach four Legislators of the ruling TRS, will report to Justice B Vijaysen Reddy){kind=link}
The Telangana High Court has ordered that the special investigation team (SIT) appointed by the Telangana government to investigate the alleged attempts made by BJP to poach four Legislators of the ruling TRS, will report to Justice B Vijaysen Reddy.
The Bench of Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice C.V. Bhaskar Reddy directed the SIT on Tuesday not to report to any political or executive authority, but to a Single-Judge Bench of the High Court.
The seven-member team, headed by Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand, will be supervised by Justice B Vijaysen Reddy.
The Bench had yesterday passed a slew of directions for an independent SIT probe along with liberty to approach a Single-Judge Bench for further permissions required, if any, for investigation.
The High Court further directed the authorities to refrain from interfering in the investigation by the SIT.
It observed that considering the political sensitivity of the case, it was important that the probe was conducted in a fair and professional manner, away from any political influence.
The Bench further directed against selective leakage of investigation or material gathered during investigation, while asking Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand, who is also the Chairman of SIT, to ensure that the directions issued by the High Court were followed scrupulously.
The High Court noted that Justice Reddy, who had been hearing petitions related to the case, shall monitor the investigation and pass orders on the basis of materials, including the progress of investigation to be submitted before him in sealed cover by the SIT from time to time.
The first report regarding the progress of investigation will be submitted by SIT in a sealed cover to Justice Reddy on November 29, it added.
Other members of the SIT include Rama Rajeshwari, IPS, SP, Nalgonda; Kalmeshwar Shingenavar, IPS, DCP, Crimes, Cyberabad; R.Jagadishwar Reddy, DCP, Shamshabad, Cyberabad; N.Venkateshwarlu, SP, Narayanpet; B.Gangadhar, ACP, Rajendranagar Division, Cyberabad; and Laxmi Reddy, SHO, Moinabad Police Station, Cyberabad.
A petition was filed by the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), challenging the Single-Judge Bench order passed by Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy on November 8, lifting the stay on probe by the State Police into the poaching allegations by TRS.
A first information report (FIR) in the case was lodged by the respondent for criminal conspiracy and other sections under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as under Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.