HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has ruled that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) cannot investigate All India Services officials without prior permission from the Union government. The verdict, delivered in response to a petition filed by former IAS officer BP Acharya, effectively dismisses the case against him.
The case originated in 2013 when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case alleging quid pro quo in the allotment of land to the Indu Group for the Lepakshi Knowledge Hub project in Anantapur district. At the time, BP Acharya was serving as the vice-chairman and managing director of the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC). He was accused of illegally allotting 8,841 acres to the project and permitting the mortgaging of these lands for loans, in violation of regulations.
The then-Andhra Pradesh government had denied permission to prosecute Acharya under Section 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
However, the Central Government later granted approval. In response, Acharya filed a petition requesting a review of this decision and sought a stay on the investigation. The high court granted interim relief by staying the investigation until the Union government issued a final decision.
On March 10, 2023, a special CBI court took cognisance of the charges against Acharya in the Lepakshi case. Challenging this, Acharya approached the high court again, arguing for a stay on the proceedings. Justice K Laxman of the Telangana High Court heard the petition and ruled in Acharya’s favor, dismissing the case against him.
This ruling aligns with previous judgments dismissing corruption cases against IAS officers implicated in alleged irregularities related to YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Notably, in 2017, the court dismissed charges against IAS officer Shyambabu, and in 2023, it ruled in favour of Muralidhar Reddy in a similar case.