In a significant turn of events, the Supreme Court of India has refused to grant anticipatory bail to former IAS officer Dhanunjay Reddy and Krishna Mohan Reddy, in connection with the high-stakes Andhra Pradesh liquor scam.
Both of them, who are close associates of Jagan, are under serious charges related to the humongous scam allegedly that took place during the regime of YSRCP. Even though the apex court had previously granted protection from arrest till May 16, that relief has been withdrawn now — which leaves scope for potential custodial interrogation.
The Supreme Court bench, in delivering its judgment, reiterated the seriousness of the case. The Justices noted:
“Charges are serious in nature. Special Investigation Team is carrying out a very thorough investigation. Granting anticipatory bail at this stage may hinder the investigation and may result in tampering with evidence or tampering with witnesses. Therefore, we are rejecting the petitions.”
The SIT, which is leading the probe, has identified Raj Kasireddy as the kingpin of the scam and charged that Dhanunjay Reddy and Krishna Mohan Reddy had played key roles in helping the illegal operations.
Since the investigation is at a critical stage, authorities were apprehensive that if the duo was given bail, it would hamper the process. Considering these apprehensions, the Supreme Court did not offer any legal protection to the pair, allowing the investigation to go on smoothly.
This ruling is a turning point in the investigation and throws serious light on the degree of high-level complicity in the liquor scandal.