A local court today directed the CBI to submit entire video clippings of the media statements given by former Andhra Pradesh Ministers accused in the corruption case involving YSR Congress chief Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, on their claims of innocence.
Referring to the applications moved by former State Home Minister P. Sabitha Reddy and the former Roads and Buildings Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, opposing the CBI plea seeking their judicial custody in the case, a special CBI court ordered the Central agency to submit entire clippings of the media statements before it on or before July 1.
“The investigation officer is directed to obtain a certificate from the authorised officials of the two Telugu news channels confirming that the contents of the CDs produced by CBI in the court were telecast by the channels and those contents are the full version of the statements given by them (Sabitha and Dharmana),” the court further directed and posted the matter to July 7.
On June 7, the CBI had filed memos in the court seeking judicial custody of Sabitha and Dharmana accusing them of deliberately making statements to the media claiming innocence, which it said could affect further investigation and influence witnesses.
Both former Ministers are accused in the case relating to alleged quid-pro-quo investments in Kadapa MP Jagan’s companies and have been named in the fourth and the fifth charge sheets filed by the central agency in the case.
The CBI had earlier submitted before the court two CDs containing video clippings of the statements made by both the former ministers before the media.
The two former Ministers, who tendered resignations last month, had reportedly said, “we don’t have any case against us and we will freely come out of the case.”
The case relates to alleged investments made by industrialists in Jagan’s companies during the time his father (late Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy) was the Chief Minister (2004-09), by way of ‘quid-pro-quo’ for Government favours.