VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the transfer of cases against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Ministers Nara Lokesh, P Narayana, K Atchannaidu, K Ravindra, MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar, former minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, businessman Lingamaneni Ramesh, Vemuri Harikrishna Prasad, and others to the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. Journalist K Balagangadhar Tilak filed the PIL in the High Court stating that as the accused are in power now, impartial investigation in the cases registered against them for the alleged corrupt practices and scams during 2014-19, is not possible. Hence, the cases should be handed over to the CBI and ED, he said.
Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas submitted to the court that a similar petition was filed by an advocate in the Supreme Court, and the same was rejected. He sought time to submit the Supreme Court order. The case hearing was adjourned to two months.
PIL on HC Bench in Kurnool
The AP High Court adjourned the hearing on the PIL challenging the government’s decision to set up a High Court Bench in Kurnool to next week. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice C Ravi, issued orders to this effect, stating that they have to study the Supreme Court directions in the past concerning setting up of a High Court Bench.
Advocates Thandav Yogesh and Turaga Sai Surya filed the PIL stating that the State government is not empowered to take such a decision.