VIJAYAWADA: Former minister and senior TDP leader Devineni Umamaheswara Rao filed a petition in the High Court seeking bail in the case registered against him under SC/ST Prevention Act by the G Kondur police. Uma was arrested after clashes broke out during his visit to Kondapalli forest area to inspect alleged illegal mining activity going on there.
In his petition seeking bail, Uma said he was framed in the case by the police. Uma said he is 59 years old and lodging him in a prison is not safe for him in view of the Covid pandemic. The petition is likely to come up for hearing on Friday.
On Thursday, TDP chief and Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu spoke to the family members of the former minister over phone, and assured them all necessary support from the party. Mylavaram MLA Vasantha Krishna Prasad accused the TDP for spreading lies. “Mining was going on in the area for the past 40 years and it was Naidu and Uma who were involved in illegal mining,’’ he alleged. He accused Uma of taking `3 crore bribe in 2018 for converting Kondapalli forest lands into revenue lands.