Hyderabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Hyderabad on Wednesday granted special status to Telugu Desam legislator A. Revanth Reddy, who was arrested over alleged vote-buying.
On a petition filed by Revanth Reddy’s lawyers, the court directed authorities of the Charalapally jail to treat him as a prisoner of special status and extend to him facilities including a separate room.
Meanwhile Telangana Home Minister N. Narasimha Reddy alleged that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was also involved in the “votes-for-cash scam”.
Revanth Reddy’s case will create a major upheaval in politics of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the minister told reporters in Warangal.
He said his party was demanding that the name of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu should also be added to the case.
“The Anti Corruption Bureau has a record of Revanth Reddy’s conversation with Naidu over the phone. The law will take its own course in the matter,” he said.
The home minister said the people of Telangana had rejected the TDP long ago.
Revanth Reddy was caught by ACB sleuths last Sunday when he tried to pay a bribe of Rs5 million (Dh287,320) to a nominated MLA, Elvis Stephenson, to seek his vote for the TDP candidate in the Legislative Council Elections.
The episode has also caught the attention of Income Tax Department and officials were trying to find out the source of Rs5 million recovered from the possession of Revanth Reddy at the time of his arrest.
Sources said that the tax officials were likely to approach the court for permission to question the MLA and his two associates presently in jail.
The ACB was also planning to seek the custody of the MLA and his associates for further questioning in the case. They are presently in judicial custody and their bail petition was going to come up for hearing on Friday.
TRS lawmaker. Kavita has demanded that Chandrababu Naidu should be made accused No. 1 in the case and Revanth Reddy should be named as accused No. 2, saying the latter was acting at the behest of the former.
“TDP leadership is conspiring to weaken Telangana as they were unable to swallow the tremendous developmental work being done by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti government”, she said.
