CBI seeks court nod to continue probe against Jagan

Hyderabad, April 2 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Monday sought a special court's permission to continue investigations into the illegal assets case involving YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

Two days after filing a chargesheet against Jagan and 12 others in the case, the investigating agency filed a memo in the special CBI court, seeking its nod for continuing the probe.

The court adjourned the hearing to April 9.

The federal agency is planning to file more charge sheets against Jagan, an MP and son of late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and other individuals and companies.

The first charge sheet covered Aurobindo Pharma and Hetero Drugs, which allegedly invested in Jagan's firms in return for the favours they received in the form of land allotments by his father and then chief minister.

The CBI, which had booked Jagan and 73 others in August last year, is reportedly planning to file charge sheets against Jagan and other companies, which invested in his business on a quid pro quo basis.

Jagan, who quit Congress to float a new outfit in 2010, is yet to be arrested while his financial advisor and auditor Vijay Sai Reddy remains the only person arrested so far in the case.

Meanwhile, Sai Reddy filed another bail petition before the special CBI court.

His counsel Ashok Reddy sought the bail on the ground that there is nothing more to be investigated, and alleged that the charges made against his client were baseless.

The defence counsel said Sai Reddy was working as auditor of Rajasekhara Reddy and following his death in September 2009, he continued working for his son. He also alleged that the petition filed by Congress leader Shankar Rao is politically motivated.

It was on this petition that the Andhra Pradesh High Court had ordered a CBI probe last year.