VIJAYAWADA: The State government on Tuesday told the Andhra Pradesh High Court that the previous government had resorted to large-scale irregularities in the AP Fibernet project and tenders were given to ineligible firms.
Continuing the arguments in the petition filed by TDP leaders Varla Ramaiah and Alapati Rajendraprasad in the High Court seeking a stay on the SIT probe into Amaravati lands and other ‘irregularities’ during the previous government, Advocate General S Sriram said that the then government, while awarding the Fibernet project, flouted tender norms and did not follow the Central Vigilance Commission guidelines in the process.
Sriram said that the State government wrote to the High Court on February 28 seeking permission to constitute a special court for the trial of the cases being investigated by the SIT and it did not start its investigation as there was no response from the court. Only the Crime Investigation Department is probing the case, he informed.
Sriram said that the Enforcement Directorate has registered a Enforcement Case Information Report into the money laundering aspect in Amaravati lands. Sriram said that court should hear the petitions challenging the SIT probe only after naming the Centre and others as respondents.
He said the elected government has the power to review administrative policies and there is no constitutional bar for that. He also said the government constituted the SIT in accordance with the provisions of the CrPC and there is no violation of law.
The court posted the matter to Wednesday.