HYDERABAD: In a recent ruling, Justice K Surender of the Telangana High Court has granted relief to Manthena Srinivasa Raju by quashing the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate.
The petitioner had raised concerns about the ongoing investigation against him, which stemmed from an ECIR dated December 15, 2020, initiated by the ED based on a case filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The case involved allegations of offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988.
Senior counsel Pradyumna Kumar, representing the petitioner, argued that the predicate offence (a crime that is a component of a more serious crime) that was initially investigated by the EOW in Bhopal had already been tried in a competent court, resulting in the petitioner’s acquittal. Importantly, the petitioner was not even an accused in the predicate offence.
Justice K Surender pointed out that a previous criminal petition had already quashed the proceedings against Raju, who had been implicated as an accused in the predicate offence. The court’s order in that case had concluded that Srinivas Raju, in collusion with Aditya Tripathi and M/s. Osmo I.T. Solutions Private Limited, had tampered with e-tenders and secured orders. However, it was crucial to note that all the accused including Srinivas Raju had been acquitted.
