Today, On 21st August, In the cash-for-vote scam case, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu received relief as the Supreme Court dismissed pleas against him. Previously, in 2016, the Hyderabad High Court rejected a complaint by a YSR Congress MLA seeking an investigation into Naidu’s alleged involvement.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court provided significant relief to former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the high-profile cash-for-vote scandal by dismissing two petitions that sought to implicate him as a defendant and transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
These petitions, brought forward by YSR Congress Party leader Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, rejected by a bench headed by Justice Sundaresh, which also cautioned Reddy against misusing the judiciary for political agendas.
The Supreme Court‘s decision upholds an earlier ruling by the High Court that had similarly dismissed efforts to involve Naidu in the scandal, marking a considerable setback for the YSR Congress Party. This ruling brings notable relief to Naidu and his supporters.
The cash-for-vote scandal centers around allegations involving TDP MLA A. Revanth Reddy and others, who were accused of attempting to bribe a nominated MLA during the MLC elections. In response, Chandrababu Naidu accused the Telangana TRS Government of engaging in illegal phone tapping.
The case gained attention in May 2015 when Elvis Stephenson, a nominated MLA in the Telangana Assembly, filed a complaint alleging that TDP MLA Revanth Reddy offered him Rs 5 crore in exchange for his vote in favour of the TDP candidate during the Telangana Legislative Council elections.
The high-profile case, commonly referred to as the cash-for-vote ‘scam‘ of 2015, saw TDP MLA Revanth Reddy approach the ACB court in Hyderabad, alleging that although Naidu’s name was mentioned 22 times in the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s initial report, he was not listed as an accused. On August 29, 2016, the principal special judge of the ACB court in Hyderabad directed the Telangana ACB to investigate further and submit its findings. However, the High Court later quashed both the complaint and the ACB court’s orders, providing significant relief to Naidu.
The High Court ruled that Reddy lacked the legal standing to request an investigation against Naidu, as he was neither an aggrieved party nor directly involved in the case.