16 CBI, ED Cases Against Jagan Come Up For Hearing

The 11 CBI cases and 5 Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases filed against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s illegal assets came up for hearing on Friday. CBI special court judge B.R. Madhusudhan Rao heard the arguments.

Jagan’s advocate G. Ashok Reddy urged the court to postpone the hearing into the cases to a later date, after the Dasara holidays, in view of the Corona crisis. He also urged the court to facilitate online hearing of the cases. Ashok Reddy told the court that there was no such rule that hearing into the cases against elected representatives should be done on a daily basis. To this, the court asked why would the High Court include this point in the guidelines if there were no such directions from the Supreme Court.

The court refused to postpone the hearing of the cases beyond Dasara holidays. However, it said that the plea for online hearing would be considered. The judge directed the advocates to give their mail Ids and phone numbers to the court. The court also made it clear that they would have to physically attend the court till facilities for online hearing were made.

However, in the wake of Covid-19, the court gave relaxation to the personal attendance of the accused in various cases.

The cases which have been issued stay orders by the High Court like Lepakshi Knowledge Hub, India Cements, Dalmiya Cements, Indu Housing Board, Hetero, Aurobindo, and six other ED cases filed in connection with Indu Techzone, have been posted for hearing on November 9.

Those cases not having stay orders like Ramky Pharma, Penna Cements, Bharti Cements, Vanpic were posted for hearing on October 12.

The judge made it clear that the ED cases would be heard on a daily basis. In addition to the CBI cases filed against Jagan’s cases, the ED filed cases against Penna Cements, India Cements, Indutech, Ramky Pharma, Jagati Publications.

Apart from Jagan’s cases, Obulapuram mining case involving Karnataka former minister Gali Janardhana Reddy and one other case involving Telangana former minister Sabita Indra Reddy were postponed to October 12.

In connection with the Emaar Properties, in which no political leader has been named, the court adjourned the hearing to November 10.

During YSR regime, a huge amount of investments came into Jagan’s companies and some shell companies under ‘quid pro quo’.

The High Court received several petitions in connection with these cases and it asked the CBI special court to take up hearing of the same.

In addition to these cases, the PMLA cases filed by the ED added to Jagan’s woes. However, Jagan’s advocates filed discharge petitions and obtained stay in connection with four cases.

Following Supreme Court directives that probe into cases filed against elected representatives should be expedited, cases against Jagan came into the light again. On Thursday, ED cases filed against Jagan came up for hearing and on Friday, both the ED and CBI cases were heard.