HYDERABAD: Justice K Lakshman of the Telangana High Court on Friday dismissed a criminal petition filed by Vem Krishna Keerthan, one of the accused in the high-profile “vote-for-note” case. The petitioner sought direction to stay all proceedings in the case, pending before the special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Nampally, Hyderabad.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that Keerthan, listed as accused No 6 in the sessions case, was initially not named as an accused. In the charge sheet filed earlier, it was mentioned that further investigation would continue. Even the subsequent supplementary charge sheet did not name Keerthan as an accused.
The petitioner became implicated only through the complaint filed by the respondent, which listed him as an accused. Counsel highlighted that Keerthan was named in the sessions case based on his inclusion in a separate case filed by officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
However, in that case, Keerthan was listed as a prosecution witness and not as an accused. The petitioner’s counsel also referred to a Supreme Court order in SLP (Crl.) No. 5333 of 2021 dated August 25, 2021, which stayed further proceedings in CC No. 5 of 2017 pending before the Principal Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases, Hyderabad.
Based on this precedent, the counsel argued that Keerthan was not at fault and requested that proceedings against him be quashed. The standing counsel for the Enforcement Directorate opposed the petition, asserting that the petitioner’s involvement in the case had been established during the investigation, justifying his inclusion as an accused in the sessions case.
After reviewing the submissions and examining the evidence, the high court dismissed Keerthan’s criminal petition. Justice Lakshman concluded that sufficient material had been presented to justify the petitioner’s inclusion as an accused, thereby rejecting his plea to stay proceedings.
The “vote-for-note” case is a high-profile political scandal involving allegations of bribery and corruption during elections. It has drawn significant public attention due to its implications for political ethics and transparency. The involvement of multiple agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate and the Anti-Corruption Bureau, has added complexity to the case.