Setback to Jagan, ED court dismisses petition seeking exemption from personal appearance

Hyderabad: In a setback to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, a Special Court hearing cases booked by Enforcement Directorate (ED), dismissed an interim application (IA) filed by the CM seeking exemption from his personal appearance. This comes days before the court is due to hearing the case filed against the Jagan.

It may be recalled, that, the CBI Special Court had also dismissed the petition of Jagan seeking exemption from personal court appearance.

Jagan is facing disproportionate assets case booked by the CBI and money laundering case under ED's investigation. Both the quid-pro-quo and disproportionate assets case were registered against the Jagan during the undivided Andhra Pradesh regime, between 2004 - 2009.

The ED court, on Friday, pronounced its orders which were reserved by it after the conclusion of the arguments on the application made by the AP CM. During the course of arguments over his application, Jagan urged the court to allow the representative of Jagati publications to represent him in the case.

However, the counsel representing ED strongly opposed the plea of Y S Jagan and ordered 'appearance of the accused of serious frauds and crimes was compulsory' and added that Jagan should also attend the case hearing filed against him on regular basis.

It told the court that Jagan was also the accused number one in the cases filed by it. Enforcement Directorate filed five cases against the AP CM on allegations that he had disproportionate assets. The other accused in the case YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP Vijaya Sai reddy, Shyam Prasad Reddy of Indu group, Pratap reddy of Penna group and former IAS officer Y. Sri Laxmi are directed to appear before the court.

Meanwhile, a city based Special CBI Court which is dealing with the other alleged disproportionate assets cases filed against the AP CM , granted exemption to Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy from his personal appearance before it on Friday.