GUNTUR: The furniture belonging to AP Legislative Assembly was shifted from the showroom of former Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao’s son Siva Ram in Guntur on Monday. Assembly assistant secretary K Raj Kumar along with revenue and police officers reached the showroom and shifted the missing Assembly furniture.
Thullur DSP Y Srinivasa Reddy said that the former speaker shifted Assembly furniture to his son’s showroom in 2017. He said that 70 articles including tables and chairs were seized during the searches and were shifted to the Assembly.
He said that YSR Congress party Narasaraopet MLA Dr Gopireddy Srinivasa Reddy had lodged a complaint against Siva Prasad Rao for shifting Assembly furniture to his son’s showroom illegally.
On Friday, revenue officials found Assembly furniture at the showroom of Siva Ram, but his advocate objected to conducting searches on the premises. On Saturday, Assembly section officer Eswara Rao filed a complaint against the former speaker at Thullur police station. Based on the complaint, a criminal case was registered against Kodela on Sunday under Sections 409 (Criminal breach of trust by a public servant), 414 (Assisting in concealment of stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Kodela had admitted that he had shifted some furniture and computers belonging to the Assembly to his camp offices in Guntur and Sattenapalli when they were being shifted to Amaravati from Hyderabad and claimed that it was for their security and maintenance. As the issue took a serious turn, Kodela said he was willing to return the property and added Assembly staff can take back the furniture at any time. He went on to add that he was ready to pay the cost of the furniture.
The issue evoked sharp criticism from the ruling YSR Congress, which dubbed Kodela a ‘thief’ for stealing the Assembly property.