In a temporary relief to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president and Malkajgiri MP A Revanth Reddy, the Supreme Court on Friday stalled the cross examination of witnesses by the special court for Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) cases in Telangana in the sensational cash-for-vote scam.
Acting on a petition filed by Revanth Reddy, a division bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice B R Gavai and Justice Surya Kant served a notice on the Telangana ACB asking it to submit its counter within four weeks.
The bench directed that till such time, the ACB should not take up cross examination of witnesses in the trial by the special court. The case was posted after four weeks.
It may be recalled that the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday filed a charge-sheet in the cash-for-vote scandal in Telangana, naming Revanth Reddy as accused No. 1 in the cash-for-vote scam of 2015.
In its charge-sheet in the Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Nampally in Hyderabad, the ED also named Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah, Revanth Reddy’s associate R Udaya Simha, former TDP legislative council member Vem Narendar Reddy's son Vem Krishna Keertan Reddy, mediator Bishop Sebastian and others.
The ED’s charge-sheet was based on the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Telangana, which later filed its own charge-sheet in the ACB court in July, 2015.
The ACB caught Revanth Reddy, red-handed on May 31, 2015, while paying Rs 50 lakh as an advance to nominated Anglo Indian MLA Elvis Stephenson for voting in favour of TDP candidate Vem Narender Reddy in the Telangana legislative council elections held on June 1, 2015.
