VIJAYAWADA: The ACB Special Court in Vijayawada has remanded Sajjala Sridhar Reddy until May 6 in connection with the alleged liquor scam. Sridhar Reddy, listed as A6, was arrested in Hyderabad on Friday night by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and brought to Vijayawada to be presented before the court.
The CID registered a case against him under Sections 409, 420, 120(B) read with Sections 34 and 37 of the IPC, and Sections 7, 7A, 8, 13(1)(b), and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
According to the remand report, Sridhar Reddy was a key player in the liquor syndicate, coordinating the sharing of kickbacks among members. He allegedly worked closely with prime accused Kesireddy Rajasekhar Reddy and regularly facilitated the issuance of Order for Sale (OFS) certificates to companies favored by APSBCL Managing Director D Vasudeva Reddy and Assistant Commissioner (Prohibition and Excise) Satya Prasad.
The report stated that Sridhar Reddy threatened companies that resisted demands and possessed detailed knowledge of kickbacks, commission collections, fund transfers, and their utilisation. He reportedly admitted to meeting Raj Kasireddy before the 2019 elections and attending a syndicate meeting at Vijayasai Reddy’s house in October 2019, along with Vasudeva Reddy, Satya Prasad, Raj Kasireddy, and Peddireddy Mithun Reddy.
The police alleged that the liquor syndicate, involving YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Mithun Reddy, Raj Kasireddy, Vijayasai Reddy, Danunjaya Reddy, Balaji Govindappa, and Krishnamohan, had an arrangement to repay money taken as loans with 12% interest, apart from the kickbacks.
Citing the seriousness of the charges, potential threats to witnesses, risk of evidence tampering, and flight risk, the police requested his remand. After reviewing the remand report and case details, the court ordered Sridhar Reddy to judicial custody. The alleged scam is said to have caused a Rs 3,500 crore loss to government.