VIJAYAWADA: Informing that he came across startling facts regarding coercion and intimidation being exerted on the investigation officers by some senior officials in the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (APCID) and the police hierarchy to drop the names of the prime accused from the final reports to be placed before the jurisdictional trial court in high-profile cases, including scams such as the Siemens Skill Development Project, AP FiberNet, assigned lands, the Inner Ring Road Project, illegal mining and liquor-related offences, former Additional Advocate General (AAG) Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy urged the Director General of Police to shield the investigation officers from any coercive actions by anyone in the hierarchy, and adhere to the tenets of fair, thorough and transparent investigation.
In a letter addressed to the DGP on Tuesday, Ponnavolu stated that “it is needless to mention that shielding the accused by abusing the official position is an offence in itself.”
He expressed concern over the potential interference by high-profile individuals in the current government, who are accused in these crimes, urging the police to maintain restraint.
The former AAG emphasised the need for a free and fair investigation process and urged the authorities to take necessary steps to resubmit chargesheets that were previously returned, ensuring that they comply with the relevant remarks.
He also wanted a close follow-up with the Directorate of Enforcement for further action to ensure that justice is upheld in these significant cases.