Hyderabad: A special CBI court here dismissed on Friday a petition filed by Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy seeking exemption from his personal appearance during hearings in cases related to alleged 'quid pro quo' investments into his firms.
The cases relate to investments made by various companies in Jagan's firms for various favours allegedly bestowed on them during the tenure of his father late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy as chief minister between 2004 and 2009.
Jagan's counsel Ashok Reddy said that they would decide on going for an appeal in the high court after receiving the order copy. Jagan sought exemption on the ground that as a chief minister it is not always possible to appear before the court due to various reasons. His counsels informed the court that every visit to the court would burden the state exchequer. Refuting the defendent's argument, the CBI said the claims of his relocation to Vijayawada and the purported difficulty to travel to Hyderabad, a distance of 250 km to 275 km, cannot be a reasonable ground to justify his personal exemption once a week. "The claim of the necessity to spare two days in a week (for court appearance) is an exaggeration and cannot be accepted at its face value," the CBI had said in its affidavit. The investigating agency strongly opposed the petition, alleging his non-appearance in the court would give him unsolicited 'liberty to do whatever he wants ...behind the iron wall of political, money and muscle powers".