VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday issued interim orders staying all the proceedings in the rooster knife attack case being heard in the special court for NIA cases, Visakhapatnam. The High Court gave the interim order while hearing the petition filed by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy challenging the striking down of his petition seeking directions to the NIA for a deeper investigation to unravel the conspiracy behind the attack on him in Visakhapatnam airport, by the NIA court in Vijayawada.
While he was an Opposition Leader, Jagan was attacked with a rooster knife by J Srinivasa Rao in Visakhapatnam airport on October 25, 2018. The probe was later handed over to the NIA, which filed a chargesheet stating that Srinivasa Rao carried out the attack to eliminate Jagan. The NIA said it would further probe into the conspiracy theory and those who instigated the attacker. However, the probe did not go further. In April this year, Jagan filed a petition seeking deeper probe to unravel the conspiracy behind the attack on him, but the same was dismissed by the NIA court on July 25.
Senior counsel T Niranjan Reddy, representing Jagan, said the Union Home Ministry on July 21 this year issued a notification bringing undivided Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, and twin Godavari districts under the jurisdiction of NIA Court at Visakhapatnam. As per the notification, the rooster knife attack case can be heard only by the NIA court at Visakhapatnam, Niranjan Reddy contended. Deputy Solicitor General N Harinath, appearing on behalf of the NIA, said a detailed counter would be filed.
Justice K Sreenivasa Reddy directed the NIA and also the accused Rao to file their counters and said further hearing in the case would be taken up after Dasara vacation. At this juncture, Niranjan Reddy informed the court that the NIA court at Visakhapatnam has been pressurising Jagan to appear before it as a witness. Justice Sreenivasa Reddy issued orders staying all the proceedings with regard to the rooster knife attack case in the NIA court at Visakhapatnam for eight weeks and posted the matter for further hearing after six weeks.