VIJAYAWADA: Following the directions of the ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau) special court in Vijayawada, officials of the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (APCID) served notices on TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh under Section 41A (4) on Friday.
In a memo filed in the ACB court last week, the investigating agency had urged the court to issue a non-bailable warrant against Lokesh for allegedly making threatening remarks to intimidate witnesses and officials investigating the Amaravati Inner Ring Road (IRR) case.It has been learnt that Lokesh has confirmed the receipt of notices through a reply to the CID officials on WhatsApp.
It may be noted that Lokesh is accused number 14 in the alleged Amaravati Inner Ring Road scam and CID issued notice to him under Section 41(A) of CrPC. Sleuths of the investigation agency had questioned him in the case twice in October.In its petition to the court, the CID also sought permission to arrest Lokesh for violating the conditions prescribed in a notice served under Section 41A on September 29.
While presenting the arguments in the court on Thursday, CID’s counsel said that Lokesh, during his interviews with vernacular news channels, spoke about a ‘red book’ in which he has allegedly listed names of government officials, especially police officers, who allegedly created hurdles and filed cases against him and his party leaders, and how they would be punished, immediately after the TDP returns to power in the State.
Further hearing in the petition on CID’s request to arrest Lokesh was posted to January 9. When TNIE tried to contact CID officials on the notice, there was no response. Sources said the CID officials tried to handover the notice to Lokesh at his residence on Thursday evening itself, but they were not able to contact him.
Asserting that he did not violate any norms, the TDP leader explained that he had only said that a judicial inquiry will be ordered against the ‘errant’ officials and did not threaten them. Stating that he did not reveal the names of officials included in the ‘red book’, he sought to know how two senior IPS officials know that their names have been included.
On the controversy around Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Vyuham’, Lokesh claimed that Jagan was the producer, and said the advocate arguing on behalf of the film in the Telangana High Court is a YSRC MP. “It is a routine process for some directors to make such films before elections to sling mud on opposition parties,” he added.