New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea of former Congress leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy against the Andhra Pradesh High Court`s order asking the CBI to conduct a probe into his alleged disproportionate assets.
"There is no need to interfere with the order of the high court," a bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari said.
Reddy, son of late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, had earlier moved the apex court challenging the August 10 order of the High Court saying, it was not a "reasoned decision".
The High Court, in its order, had directed CBI to take their probe into the case to its logical end.
The High Court`s order came on a petition filed by state Handlooms and Textile Minister P Shankar Rao, who had alleged that Jagan`s income rose from Rs 11 lakh in 2004 to Rs 43,000 crore by the time of his father`s death in 2009.
In his petition, Rao had sought a CBI inquiry into the companies that had invested in Jagan`s businesses to allegedly win favours in the form of land allotments and mining leases from the then YSR government.
The High Court had set aside the arguments of Jagan`s counsel that the petitioner has political vendetta against him and said the contention of the petitioner needs to be appreciated.
On July 22, the Supreme Court had refused to stay the High Court`s order for a preliminary CBI inquiry to ascertain if Jagan owns assets disproportionate to his income.
A bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma had
dismissed Jagan`s plea refusing to interfere with the High Court`s order.
The apex court had said "at this stage" no interference
was required into the high court`s order as it was only a
preliminary inquiry and the high court can refuse to proceed
against him if nothing substantial comes out against him in
the probe.
Jagan had approached the apex court challenging an Andhra
Pradesh High Court order for a preliminary probe by the CBI to
ascertain if he owned assets far exceeding his legal income.
Jagan`s petition had sought quashing of the July 12 order
which directed the CBI to submit its report in two weeks,
arguing it was "illegal", "erroneous" and "unsustainable" and
deserves to be quashed.
He had contended the high court did not have the
jurisdiction to order a CBI probe on a "politically motivated"
petition.
Jagan, after being denied the chief minister`s post
following his father`s death in a chopper crash, floated the
YSR Congress Party on whose symbol he and his mother won the
Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendla Assembly seats respectively in
recent by-polls.
PTI
