Raghu Ramakrishna Raju. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy submitted a preliminary counter affidavit in the High Court (HC) on January 23 praying for the removal of his name from the array of respondents to the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Narasapuram MP K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju against the government’s alleged corrupt activities and illegal decisions, and to dismiss the PIL, saying that it is not maintainable.
He stated that the PIL has been maliciously instituted for oblique considerations and political reasons, which mainly include a plea by the YSR Congress Party to the Lok Sabha Speaker to disqualify Mr. Ramakrishna Raju on grounds of misconduct.
“Mr. Ramakrishna Raju has since borne a personal grudge against Mr. Reddy and that the enmity and vendetta harboured by him (the MP) is well-documented. He made baseless allegations not only against the CM but also some high-ranking constitutional functionaries and public servants,” it was contended.
Mr. Reddy mentioned the fact that Mr. Ramakrishna Raju had even filed a petition in the Telangana High Court seeking the cancellation of bail granted to him in the disproportionate assets (‘quid pro quo’) cases but it was dismissed as the court found no truth or merits in the scathing contentions made out by the petitioner.
“In the PIL, Mr. Ramakrishna Raju resorted to suppression of facts and omitted details of his involvement in various pending criminal cases.”
Mr. Mohan Reddy insisted that the PIL does not contain any material/proof/evidence that would even remotely, let alone prima facie, implicate or link him to any of the alleged corrupt activities and it does not satisfy the stringent parametres laid down by the Supreme Court pertaining to the maintenance of allegations of mala fides against high constitutional functionaries.
It may be recalled that Mr. Ramakrishna Raju filed the PIL in October 2023 seeking a court – monitored CBI inquiry into the government’s corrupt activities and illegal decisions in order to unravel the corruption and embezzlement of public money in favour of some individuals and several private companies.
The prominent individuals among the total 41 respondents are MP V. Vijay Sai Reddy, Government Advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy and Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy.