In a significant turn of events, the top YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and former minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy has come in the intense crosshairs of the police with a lookout circular issued against him. The development is in the context of a current probe in the so-called illegal Mining Case.
To prevent him from escaping to another country, police have informed all airports and seaports in Andhra Pradesh. The move has soon become a talking point in state politics, with attention from the public as well as political analysts.
The case was first registered by Podalakur police, who implicated Kakani in the role of aiding in the smuggling process. In search of legal protection, Kakani approached the High Court for anticipatory bail, but the court rejected his plea. The court categorically ruled that there would be no interim relief without thorough scrutiny of the case. Additionally, his petition for quashing of the FIR has been delayed by two weeks, keeping any instant relief at bay.
As part of the same case, police have served notices to three others: Gopalakrishna Reddy, who is Kakani’s son-in-law, and contractors Urubindi Prabhakar Reddy and Urubindi Chaitanya. The trio has sought additional time to attend the inquiry sessions. However, Kakani himself has failed to respond, despite being issued three separate summons.
Authorities now claim that the former minister has been missing for the past 12 days. With his whereabouts unknown, six dedicated police teams, led by SP Krishnakant, have been deployed to track him and the other absconding accused.
Amid these developments, the YSRCP has slammed the police action, alleging that the coalition government is engaging in political vendetta. Party leaders argue that the case is being used as a tool to target opposition voices, particularly influential leaders like Kakani.