The stage appears to be set for the arrest of another former Andhra Pradesh minister and YSR Congress Party leader, Karumuri Nageswara Rao, after the Supreme Court rejected his anticipatory bail petition in connection with the alleged liquor scam.
Over the past two years, the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government headed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has arrested several former ministers and leaders of the previous YSRCP government in different cases. They include Kakani Govardhan Reddy, Perni Nani, Ambati Rambabu, Jogi Ramesh and Seediri Appalaraju.
Karumuri Nageswara Rao may now be the next senior YSRCP leader to face arrest.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant observed that there was prima facie material indicating the commission of an offence by the former minister.
The bench said custodial interrogation of the accused was necessary for an effective investigation. It noted that preliminary evidence suggested that nearly Rs 350 crore in public funds had allegedly been diverted in the liquor scam.
Considering the seriousness of the allegations, the court ruled that granting anticipatory bail at this stage would not be appropriate.
The Supreme Court also observed that several crucial aspects of the case were yet to be uncovered and that custodial questioning would be necessary to establish the complete facts.
Although counsel appearing for Karumuri Nageswara Rao argued in favour of anticipatory bail, the court declined to accept the submissions.
It also emphasised that the accused must fully cooperate with the investigating agencies to facilitate a comprehensive probe into the alleged scam.
