HYDERABAD: Justice K Lakshman of the Telangana High Court made a noteworthy ruling on Friday by overriding objections from the registry.
He issued a directive to assign a regular case number to the petition submitted by Ajeya Kallam, a former IAS officer who is currently serving as the chief advisor to Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
In his petition, Kallam had asserted that the CBI inaccurately recorded his statement during its inquiry into the murder case of former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy. Significant developments have taken place in the ongoing investigation into Viveka’s murder. The CBI has compiled a substantial collection of statements, all of which have been submitted to the court.
Notably, statements from public figures, including celebrities, have recently been recorded. The CBI had also summoned YS Sharmila, president of the YSR Telangana Party and Jagan’s sister, as a witness in connection with the case.
In the midst of these proceedings, Ajeya Kallam had lodged a petition with the Telangana High Court, alleging that the investigation agency inaccurately documented his statement during the probe. Kallam clarified that he never informed the CBI about YS Bharthi’s purported call to Chief Minister Jagan. He implored the court to expunge his statement from the chargesheet of the Viveka murder case and further requested a re-examination of his statement by the CBI.
According to Kallam’s submission, his statement was recorded by the CBI on April 29, 2023. Allegations have been made that the CBI altered the contents of the statement in the chargesheet, deviating from his original statement.
Kallam denied discussing the contents of the statement with anyone other than the investigating authorities. However, an article in a daily newspaper presented a contrary perspective. The petition highlighted the presence of a misleading article and named both the investigating officer and the director of the central investigation agency as defendants in the case.