VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has granted interim anticipatory bail to former Assembly Speaker and YSRCP leader Tammineni Sitaram and his wife Vani in a forgery case registered by the Srikakulam Rural Police over the alleged fraudulent registration of land using forged documents.
Justice Dr Yadavalli Lakshmana Rao directed the police not to arrest the couple until further orders.
The court instructed Sitaram to cooperate with the investigation and appear before the investigating officer at 10 a.m. on July 29. Considering that Vani is 65 years old, the court directed the police to act in accordance with the law in her case. However, the court declined to grant similar protection to Sitaram’s son, Venkata Sriram Chiranjeevi Nagu, who is also an accused in the case. The matter has been posted for further hearing on August 17.
The petitioners had sought anticipatory bail, contending that Sitaram and Vani had no connection with the disputed land sale deed.
The court observed that the complainant had not named either Sitaram or Vani as defendants in the earlier civil suit over the land dispute and had also failed to mention their role in the police complaint.
The judge noted that there was prima facie material indicating no direct link between the couple and the disputed registration. However, the court found that Nagu had failed to produce preliminary evidence showing payment for the land purchase, making him ineligible for interim protection from arrest.
HC grants regular bail to three in liquor scam case
The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday granted regular bail to the retired IAS officer Kalva Dhanunjaya Reddy, former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Pellakuru Krishna Mohan Reddy, and Vikant Cement Company director Balaji Govindappa, who are accused in the alleged liquor scam case.
Justice Dr Venkata Jyothirmayi Pratapa imposed several conditions while granting relief. The court directed Dhanunjaya Reddy and Govindappa to appear before the investigating officer on the first Sunday of every month. However, Krishna Mohan Reddy was exempted from this condition due to his health issues.
The three had earlier obtained default bail from the Vijayawada ACB Court, but the High Court later cancelled it and directed them to surrender. They subsequently approached the Supreme Court, which asked them to seek regular bail before the ACB Court and granted protection from surrender until their bail petitions were decided.
After the ACB Court rejected their applications, they moved the High Court. Senior advocates S. Niranjan Reddy, Siddharth Dave, and Subrahmanya Sriram appeared for the petitioners, while senior counsel Bandarupalli Adinarayana Rao represented the CID.