Author: Agencies
Publication: Expressindia.com
Date: February 28, 2009
URL:
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Court-makes-Andhra-CM-accused-in-corruption-case/429210/
[Note from the Hindu Vivek Kendra: Had it
been a BJP chief minister, irrespective of the merit of the case, such a report
would have received headline publicity, and there would be editorials written
demanding the chief minister resign. But a secular chief minister has to be
handled with kids' gloves.]
The Anti-Corruption Bureau in Hyderabad has
been ordered to register a case against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S
Rajasekhara Reddy, Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah and nine others
for alleged misappropriation of public funds.
In a case related to the controversial Yellampalli
irrigation project, a special court of the Bureau directed the ACB Director
General on Friday to conduct a detailed investigation into the allegations
and submit a report to it by March 26.
The order came after hearing arguments on
a petition filed by a city-based lawyer V Srinivasa Rao with the ACB special
court alleging that the ACB DG had failed to act on his complaint, filed on
January 24, on the Yellampalli project and requesting that necessary directions
be issued for registration of a case against the chief minister and others.
The ACB special court judge N Sanyasi Rao
has directed the ACB DG to register a case under Section 13 (1) (d) of the
Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 120 (B) (conspiracy), 167 (misuse
of official position by public servants), 201 (screening of evidence) and
409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants) and that a detailed investigation
be conducted against the chief minister and others.
Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, the
then principal secretary (irrigation) C V S K Sarma, advisor Seetapathi Rao,
chief engineer Prabhakar Reddy, superintending engineer, executive engineer
and project contractors (IVRCL, Navayuga and SEW Infra joint venture) are
the other respondents in the case.
The petitioner's counsel Kanakamedala Ravindra
Kumar cited the Comptroller and Auditor General's report, the Lok Ayukta Inquiry
report on the Yellampalli case in which public funds to the tune of Rs 600
crore were allegedly misappropriated. He also submitted a set of 21 documents
in support of the case.
