HYDERABAD: Justice R Subhash Reddy of HC on Monday dismissed the petitions of Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation managing director BR Meena and former chairman Sivarama Subrahmanyam, challenging an order of the special court for ACB cases.
The ACB court had directed the Anti-Corruption Bureau on March 14 to register a case against the duo and probe their alleged demand for a bribe from Emaar Properties to resolve the Dubai-based real estate company’s dispute with APIIC over stake in a joint venture.
The court gave direction following a plea by V Sai Raju, an advocate, seeking a probe into allegations by GV Vijaya Raghav, head of the finance wing of Emaar MGF Ltd for southern India, against Subrahmanyam and Meena that they had demanded two villas worth Rs 35 crore each in Dubai to settle the Emaar controversy.
The petitioners told the High Court that the CBI was already investigating into the Emaar case on the direction of a division bench of the HC. They contended that the complaint was a manipulation designed to dilute or scuttle the investigation and also to reopen a new channel of investigation by the state CBI for procrastination of the case so that the real culprits can take advantage of it.
They also contended that directing ACB director-general to investigate the case was beyond the power of sessions judge and DG cannot be equated with an officer in charge of a police station.
Justice Subhash Reddy did not agree with the contentions of the petitioners and dismissed their pleas by observing that the allegations against them were serious in nature and the ACB had to look into them.