HYDERABAD: In a relief to IAS officer Muralidhar Reddy, an accused in Jagan’s illegal assets case, the Hyderabad High Court on Monday stayed the proceedings pending against him before the CBI court in connection with the Lepakshi Knowledge Hub case. He was accused number 12 in the case. Justice Shameem Akther was passing the interim order in a petition filed by Muralidhar Reddy seeking to quash the case registered against him by the CBI.
Petitioner’s counsel Sivaraj Srinivas submitted that the State government, through its order in February 2014, rejected to accord permission for prosecuting the officer against whom charges were framed under IPC sections by the CBI. Besides, no permission has come from the Central government for the same. The CBI had alleged that during the Rajasekhara Reddy government, the Indu Group had invested `70 crores in Jagan’s companies in return to the land allocated to Lepakshi Knowledge Hub in Anantapur district. It charged that the petitioner officer has a role in the conspiracy. The petitioner has already clarified that he acted in accordance with the orders passed by the then APIIC managing director. Even the CBI had mentioned this in its charge-sheet, he added.
The counsel further said that the High Court had earlier quashed the case registered against another IAS officer Sam Bob who was accused number eight in the case as there was no permission from the State government. In fact, the CBI has not shown any evidence against the petitioner, he noted. After hearing the case, the judge stayed the proceedings and directed the CBI to file a counter affidavit in the case.