Big Relief For Chandrababu Naidu As Supreme Court Junks YSR Leader's Pleas In 'Cash-For-Vote' Scam
In a major relief to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed two petitions seeking FIR against him in the cash-for-vote scam.
In a major relief to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed two petitions seeking FIR against him in the cash-for-vote scam. The top court also warned YSR leader Congress Party leader Alla Ramakrishna Reddy against using courts for politics.
The two petitions were filed against a 2016 Karnataka High Court order that quashed a complaint and directions seeking FIR against Naidu in 2015 cash-for-vote scam.
A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar today refused to entertain a petition by Reddy seeking a direction for transfer of the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Reddy had filed two petitions, one of which sought to implicate Naidu as an accused in the cash-for votes case and another sought to transfer the investigation to the CBI.
The petitions were filed in the top court by YSR Congress Party leader Alla Ramakrishna Reddy. The Supreme Court today rejected the pleas and warned Reddy against using the judiciary as a platform for political gains.
The Karnataka High Court had dismissed Reddy’s plea to implicate Chandrababu Naidu in 2016.
What Was The Cash For Vote Scam?
In 2008, the Congress-led UPA government faced its first confidence vote after the Left Front withdrew support to UPA over the India-US nuclear deal. At that time UPA had 226 members, out of which 153 were from Congress. UPA needed 272 to win the confidence motion. The NDA at that time had 170 MPs, out of which 129 were from BJP.
UPA won the confidence motion after two days of debate, but in a shocking turn of events, three BJP MPs, Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahaveer Bhagora claimed that they were offered money to support or abstain from voting. They brought bundles of cash in the house which they claimed the government offered them.
The BJP claimed to have a video evidence and demanded the resignation of the then PM Manmohan Singh over the allegations.
The UPA government denied the allegations. The Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee asked the police to investigate the matter.
BJP claimed that L K Advani's close aide, Sudheendra Kulkarni, had roped in Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh to offer bribes to the three MPs to expose the UPA government. The then Congress Rajya Sabha leader Ahmed Patel was also acused.
In 2008, the parliamentary committee said it found no evidence against Amar Singh and Ahmed Patel. However, the committee recommended further investigation into the role of Kulkarni, Amar Singh aide Sanjeev Saxena and a Sohail Hindustani.
In 2011, Saxena and Hindustani were arrested after police claimed to have sufficient evidence to prove that Saxena had delivered money to the three BJP MPs. The police also filed a chargesheet against Amar Singh, Saxena, Hindustani, Kulkarni, Kulaste and Bhagora.
Amar Singh was also arrested for his alleged involvement in the scam.
In 2013, a Delhi court gave Amar Singh, Kulaste, Argal and Bhagora clean chit, accepting that their actions had been as “whistleblowers.” The court also cleared Kulkarni and Hindustani.
In 2015, Saxena was also discharged.
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