Cash-for-vote: SC notice to CM Revanth Reddy over plea to transfer case out of Telangana

New Delhi: The Supreme Court issued a notice in a plea seeking a transfer of the trial in the 2015 cash-for-votes case against chief minister A Revanth Reddy from Telangana to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The petitioners claimed that since the accused in the case is a chief minister, transferring the case out of Telangana will help process a free and fair trial, avoiding prejudice.

The petition was filed by former ministers, including the former deputy chief minister. Senior advocates Siddarth Dave and Dama Seshadri Naidu appeared for the petitioners, and the petition was filed through advocate P Mohit Rao.

The two cases against which the transfer was sought are The State of Telangana through Addl. Superintendent of Police Vs. A Revanth Reddy & Ors. and The State of Telangana through Addl. Superintendent of Police Vs. Sandra Venkata Veeraiah. The cases are pending for trial before a special judge in Telangana.

The 2015 cash-for-votes case

According to the petitioners, Revanth Reddy, who was with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 2015, was caught red-handed by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while offering a bribe of Rs 50 lakhs as advance to MLA Elvis Stephenson, the de facto complainant and a nominated MLA then. Stephenson was allegedly asked to either abstain from voting to or in favour of the Telugu Desam Party’s nominee Vem Narendar Reddy in the 2015 Telangana MLC elections.

According to the petitioners, Reddy was ordered by his former boss and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to offer the bribe.

At this point in time, Revanth Reddy is the chief minister of Telangana State, and the court observed that the case must be transferred to another state for a fair trial. “The main accused has become CM and also has the home ministry with him. So how can we expect a fair trial in the case?” Siddharth Dave said.

Another petition filed by CM Revanth Reddy, challenging the Telangana High Court order which dismissed his plea questioning the jurisdiction of ACB court to conduct trial, is still pending.

The petitioners also pointed out that there are 88 pending cases against him and they alleged that he has also threatened senior police officials of the state. A Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehta listed the plea for hearing after four weeks and issued the notice.

(Inputs from Live Law)