NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday in its order refused to transfer the trial of the 2015 cash-for-vote case involving Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and others, from Telangana to Bhopal.
In its orders, a bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan directed Revanth not to interfere in any way with the functioning of the prosecution in the case.
While the top court on Friday accepted the apology offered by Revanth for his remarks on the SC’s decision to grant bail to BRS MLC K Kavitha in the Delhi liquor policy case, it observed that a fair criticism of judgments is always welcome but one should not “transgress the limits”.
The apex court’s orders said that the ACB director general would not report to the Telangana chief minister with regard to the prosecution of the case. The court said that it was expected that all three wings of the Constitution show mutual respect for each other’s functioning as unwarranted comments bring friction.
The apex court was hearing a plea filed by four BRS lawmakers — including G Jagadish Reddy — to transfer the trial against Revanth in the 2015 cash-for-votes case to a court outside Telangana. The petitioners said that a fair trial was almost impossible in the state as Revanth was the chief minister and also held the home portfolio.
In the plea filed through advocate P Mohith Rao, Jagadish Reddy said: “That most of the prosecution witnesses were examined in case, that the Accused No. 1 (Revanth Reddy) being the chief minister and home minister for the state, he can directly influence the de facto complainant and officers,” the petitioners had claimed.
Revanth had been arrested after allegedly being caught red-handed by the ACB on May 31, 2015, for allegedly offering Rs 50 lakh to a nominated MLC, Elvis Stephenson, to vote in favour of the TDP candidate. He was a TDP MLA at the time.
