The Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy led YSR Congress Party government in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday said that it would speed up the probe into the irregularities committed by the previous Telugu Desam Party government.AP government’s advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy told reporters on Wednesday that even arrests could take place in this case.
This comes after the Supreme Court earlier in the day set aside the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s order staying the probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into allegations of irregularities committed during the TDP rule.
A bench comprising Justices MR Shah and MM Sundresh observed that there was no need for the high court to stay the SIT, constituted in February 2020, when the inquiry was at a preliminary stage.
The bench also felt that the high court should have taken into consideration the AP government’s intention to approach the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe the case as it had wider ramifications.
The State government issued the Government Order (GO) for the constitution of the SIT based on the report of a Cabinet Sub-Committee set up soon after the YSRCP government of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy came to power in the state, unseating the TDP regime.
The subcommittee’s report held that several irregularities — procedural, legal, and financial — took place, besides fraudulent transactions related to various projects.
However, the apex court said that the high court could continue to hear the case based on its merits.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court stayed the proceedings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee looking into the irregularities committed by the N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP government, and the probe by the SIT, on 16, September, 2020.
The fact-finding sub-committee was formed on 26 September, 2019, and the special probe team was constituted on 21 February, 2020.
