VIJAYAWADA: A day after the Andhra Pradesh High Court gave permission to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to question former Ponnur MLA and senior TDP leader Dhulipalla Narendra Kumar for three days, his counsel filed a petition with the ACB Special Court, Vijayawada, seeking permission to admit him in private hospital for treatment for fever and cough.
Family members of Narendra alleged that he developed symptoms of COVID-19 such as high fever and cough and demanded that ACB officials and state government provide him treatment. “A petition filed with the ACB Special Court seeking permission to admit Narendra in a private hospital. His health is deteriorating and he needs medical support,” said Gottipati Ramakrishna, Narendra’s lawyer.
On April 23, ACB sleuths arrested Narendra and managing director of Sangam Dairy P Gopala Krishnan and former district cooperative officer M Gurunadham on the charges of irregularities in Sangam Milk Producers Company Limited famously known as Sangam Dairy. Cases were registered against him. As he tested positive for COVID- 19, Gopala Krishnan was admitted to a private hospital in Rajahmundry.
However, Rajahmundry Central Jail officials told the media that Narendra is fine and he has no symptoms of COVID-19. He was taken to Rajahmundry government hospital where he was tested for COVID-19. “Based on his request, Narendra was taken to GGH and gave his samples for Covid testing. ACB officials interrogated him on Monday and recorded his statements. At present, his condition is stable and necessary action will be taken after the results came,” said a senior ACB official.
CID grills Uma
Former minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao appeared for the third time before CID officials in the ‘forged video’ case on Tuesday. Uma was grilled for more than five hours. When officials questioned the whereabouts of the mobile tablet, Uma told CID officials that he lost it. The CID officials reportedly inquired about the operations and rules of the TDP social media wing and its office-bearers. Uma refused to share information regarding the same.