The Andhra Pradesh liquor scam probe is gaining pace as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has identified as many as 40 suspects so far, with 12 arrests, including well-known leaders from the ruling YSR Congress Party. Former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s name was included in the charge sheet recently, triggering high-voltage speculation regarding the chances of his arrest.
The liquor scandal, for which ₹3,500 crore of public money is being allegedly misused, has created a political tempest throughout the state. Union Minister Pemmasani Chandrasekhar called it a “public secret,” a term given to something that is known publicly. Still, he also made it clear that arrests cannot be made unless there is concrete proof. Pemmasani also said that if credible evidence comes to the surface, even someone as high-profile as Jagan might be subject to it, but also clarified that more developments are yet to follow.
The most important question now is whether the SIT possesses sufficient evidence to connect Jagan to the scam. Though the charge sheet indicates that commission amount from the scam did find its way to Jagan, the details of the evidence are still to be made known. The arrest of his close friends, such as MP Mithun Reddy and former MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, have only made things more intricate and added doubts about an intricate net of political and financial affiliations.
Even with the high level of public and political interest in the case, Pemmasani’s remarks suggest that Jagan’s arrest is not imminent unless clearer evidence turns up. As investigations continue, the case is keeping politicians and the public on tenterhooks, and the next few weeks could yield more clarity.