VIJAYAWADA: Taking the reports published in various newspapers as primary evidence in Rs 40-crore ‘freedom fighter land’ scam, Krishna district joint collector K Vijaya Krishnan took suo motu cognizance of the case and called both the parties - Vijayawada (Central) MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao’s wife Sujatha (Accused No 8 as per the CID charge sheet) and the family members of freedom fighter Kesireddy Suryanarayana - to appear for magisterial inquiry at the Office of the Sub-Collector on Saturday.
While neither Sujatha nor her husband MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao appeared before the joint collector on Saturday, Suresh and Srinivasa Rao turned up for the inquiry and submitted their statements to the joint collector. Also, a team was sent to Nagarjuna hospital in Autonagar to record the statement of Abdul Masthan, who was named as the prime accused in the CID charge sheet. Ramireddy Koteswara Rao (second accused), lorry driver by profession, too appeared before the joint collector and gave his statement.
Speaking to TNIE, Krishnan said they had received a complaint that revenue procedure during the registration of the disputed land was flouted and hence called for the magisterial inquiry into the issue. “Stringent action will be initiated against those in the revenue department if the inquiry finds them guilty,” she said.