Trouble for Jagan Mohan Reddy: Accounts of companies frozen

May 9, 2012

jagan_mohan_reddy_frozen

Hyderabad, May 9: In a move that is expected to cripple YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has written to the State Bank of India in Hyderabd, directing it to freeze the accounts of three large parts of his considerable empire - Jagathi Publications, Indira TV and Janani Infrastructure - pending an inquiry by it. (Read: CBI's letter to the State Bank of India)

The CBI has, in its letter, said that that it is carrying out a probe on the orders of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in August last year, directing it to register a case against and thoroughly inquire into alleged financial misdeeds of Jagan. It believes that Mr Reddy, one of India's richest politicians with declared assets worth 365 crores, benefited from his father's position as chief minister. YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who died while in office in 2009, allegedly asked companies to invest in Jagan's firms and in return, they were granted licenses or other clearances.

The investigating agency has said those funds were parked in the bank accounts in the guise of conducting business. Hence, under section 102 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, it wants those accounts to be frozen and a prohibition of operations in all the three accounts.

The move comes barely 24 hours after summons were issued to Jagan and 12 others to appear before a Special CBI Court on May 28. The court has also asked 12 others facing charges in the case to appear before it on the same day.

Jagan's supporters allege that the move is politically motivated. They say that the leader's political opponents are unable to take on and deal with his growing political popularity and that this is a desperate attempt to try and stop him. They intend to challenge the order in court.

The move to freeze accounts happened even as Jagan was campaigning in Anantpur district, ahead of by-elections next month.

Meanwhile, Jagathi Publications that runs Sakshi newspaper and Indira Television that runs Sakshi TV have called this an attempt to stifle the media and an attack on the freedom of the press. They will complain to the Press Council of India. The employees of the three companies are worried about what will happen to them.

Political analyst K Nageswar says that while the CBI is acting within the law in freezing the accounts, notices should have been issued prior to the action and economic flexibility should have been allowed pending the probe, since there are only allegations as yet to be tried in a court of law.

The special CBI court had admitted the first chargesheet filed on March 31 by the CBI in the disproportionate assets case and listed the case for trial.

Accordingly, summons were issued to Jagan, the prime accused in the case, and the other accused.

The summons were issued on a day when the CBI, probing the case against Jagan and the others, submitted its third chargesheet in the court. The 88-page chargesheet was filed after examining 72 witnesses.

The CBI also booked 73 companies and individuals, alongwith Jagan, on the directions of the High Court. Others named in the chargesheet include Jagan's close aide Vijay Sai Reddy, Jagati Publications Private Limited (JPPL), Ayodhya Rami Reddy, IAS officer Venkatrami Reddy, and Ramkey Pharma.

The third chargesheet contains details of undue favours granted to a company called Ramky Pharma during YSR's regime. Ramky Infra has been accused of depositing a huge sum of money in the accounts of Jagati Publications owned by Jagan Reddy.

Vijay Sai Reddy was arrested by the CBI on January 2. The Vice-President of JPPL is also an auditor for many other companies of Jagan.

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News Network
February 2,2020

Lucknow, Feb 2: In an early morning firing at Lucknow's Hazratganj, the city centre, Vishva Hindu Mahasabha state president Ranjit Bachchan was killed while he was out on a morning walk on Sunday.

Ranjit Bachchan was taking a stroll in Hazratganj in the morning when bike-borne assailants opened fire on him and killed him on the spot. The Mahasabha leader was shot in the head multiple times.

The incident took place near the CDRI building in Lucknow's Hazratganj.

In the firing, Ranjit Bachchan's brother also suffered bullet injuries. He has been rushed to the trauma centre. Ranjit Bachchan was a resident of Gorakhpur.

The early morning shootout in the Uttar Pradesh capital's central area has caused tension in the area.

Dinesh Singh, DCP Central Lucknow, said, "The body has been identified as of Ranjit Bachchan, who had gone out on morning walk when some unknown assailant shot him. A police team has been formed and further investigation is being carried out."

Before being associated with the Mahasabha, Ranjit Bachchan was a Samajwadi Party member and was often spotted with former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The Samajwadi Party has hit out at the Yogi Adityanath government over the law and order situation in the state and demanded immediate resignation of the government.

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News Network
January 13,2020

New Delhi, Jan 13: The Supreme Court on Monday commenced hearing on issues related to discrimination against women in various religions and at religious places including Kerala's Sabarimala Temple.

A nine-judge bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said that it was not considering review pleas in the Sabarimala case.

“We are not hearing review pleas of Sabarimala case. We are considering issues referred to by a 5-judge bench earlier,” the bench said.

The apex court had on November 14 asked a larger bench to re-examine various religious issues, including the entry of women into the Sabarimala Temple and mosques and the practice of female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra community.

While the five-judge bench unanimously agreed to refer religious issues to a larger bench, it gave a 3:2 split decision on petitions seeking a review of the apex court's September 2018 decision allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala.

A majority verdict by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra decided to keep pending pleas seeking a review of its decision regarding entry of women into the shrine, and said restrictions on women in religious places was not restricted to Sabarimala alone and was prevalent in other religions as well.

The minority verdict by Justices R F Nariman and D Y Chandrachud gave a dissenting view by dismissing all review pleas and directing compliance of its September 28 decision.

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News Network
June 11,2020

The Indian National Congress is considering to move court seeking action against operation lotus,  after an audio clip in which Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan can be heard saying that the Central leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party wanted the Kamal Nath government to fall went viral.

Mr Chouhan is also heard saying in the purported 9.28-minute long audio clip that it was not possible to pull down the Kamal Nath government without the help of Jyotiraditya Scindia and his loyalist, former Congress MLA Tulsi Silawat.

The Congress, which has all along maintained that the BJP had hatched a conspiracy to pull down the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to “capture” power in MP, threatened legal action.

“I have been maintaining from the very beginning that there was a conspiracy to pull down my duly elected government… The audio has established that the BJP’s Central leadership had conspired to pull down my government even though it enjoyed majority,” former chief minister and Congress veteran Kamal Nath said.

Working president of MP Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Jitu Patwari said his party may move court against the BJP for having plotted to dislodge an elected government following the expose in the purported audio.

Mr Chouhan was reportedly addressing BJP workers of Sanware Assembly constituency in Indore on Monday when he allegedly said in Hindi, “The Central leadership (of BJP) decided that the (Kamal Nath) government should fall. They (the Kamal Nath government) will ruin and destroy … Tell me, was it possible to dislodge the government without Jyotiraditya Scindia and Tulsi Bhai? There was no other way.”  

The “Tulsi Bhai” referred to in the clip is former health minister who joined the BJP along with Mr Scindia.

“In the coming bypoll if Tulsi Silawat doesn’t become MLA again, will I be able to remain CM, will the BJP government survive?” he allegedly said, exhorting BJP workers to overcome their differences and work for Mr Silawat’s victory in the upcoming by-elections in the Sanwer Assembly seat.

Twenty-two Congress MLAs, loyal to Mr Scindia, had resigned from the Assembly leading to the fall of the Kamal Nath government on March 20, paving the way for Mr Chouhan to return as chief minister for the fourth time.

All the 22 ex-Congress MLAs later joined the BJP with Mr Scindia. Two of them, Mr Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput, have been inducted into the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Cabinet.

The BJP has vehemently denied any role in the collapse of the Kamal Nath government. Neither the saffron party’s Central leadership nor Mr Chouhan have reacted to the audio clip yet

But the party’s state spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal dismissed the charge that it had a hand in the fall of the Kamal Nath government.

“Infighting in Congress had led to the fall of the Kamal Nath government,” he said.

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