Justice Samudrala Govindarajulu of the AP High Court on Thursday reserved orders on the bail plea of YSR Congress president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to July 4. Mr Reddy was arrested on May 27 in the illegal investments case. Mr Ashok Bhan, additional solicitor general appearing for the CBI, said that the petitioner was threatening witnesses giving proof against him. Mr Ram Jethmalani, senior counsel of the Supreme Court, arguing for Mr Jagan Mohan, refuted the allegations of threatening of witnesses by his client and said that the CBI is remote-controlled from Delhi. He alleged that CBI prosecutors are misleading the courts.

Refusal of a witness to depose before the magistrate cannot be attributed to his client, he said. The CBI findings in the case were totally false and the arrest of his client was not justifiable, Mr Jethmalani said. He alleged that the CBI prosecutors have been misleading the courts by suppressing several facts. He termed the CBI investigation as biased and also a fraud. He found fault with the CBI for alleging that his client has given evasive answers to the queries of investigating officers. He said his client has the right to maintain silence and it is for the investigating agency to bring out the facts. He alleged that the Congress and other political opponents are attempting to render his client politically insignificant. He urged the court to grant bail to his client as the arrest was politically motivated.

AP differs on I-T returns by liquor bidders
The state government on Thursday informed the AP High Court that seeking income-tax returns from applicants for liquor shops under the new excise police would be counter-productive. Acting on a petition seeking an investigation into the sources of income of the applicants before granting licences, the High Court had directed the government to file the counter affidavit. Citing a recent order of the High Court in the liquor syndicate scam, counsel for the petitioner Mr S. Sriram had said that the state government was awarding licences to persons who were below the poverty line without investigating into their source of income. He had said that they were found to be benamis for politicians. A division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice P.C. Ghose and Justice V. Eswaraiah is hearing the case.

Senior counsel Mr K. Ramakrishna Reddy submitted that another petition had also been filed challenging the new excise policy and the Bench permitted him to argue the case. The Bench said that it would hear all the petitions on Friday including another plea seeking direction not to allot licences to non tribals in scheduled areas.

Don’t meddle in Ruby affairs: HC
Justice K.C. Bhanu on Thursday directed the city police not to interfere with the working of Ruby TV channel of the old city. The judge granted the interim direction while dealing with a plea by the channel’s management challenging the police action in sealing their office for allegedly creating communal hatred in old city by telecasting some photographs. Counsel for the petitioner M.A.K. Mukheed said no proceedings had been initiated under the Cable TV Network Act or any another statute and the police, at the instance of another channel patronised by a political party, had stopped it from telecasting.

2 new judges to be sworn in today
The President appointed two advocates of the AP High Court Bar, Mr M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Mr C. Praveen Kumar Reddy, as new judges of the High Court. They will be sworn-in as judges at 10.15 am, on Friday in the High Court. Acting Chief Justice P.C. Ghose will administer the oath.

Mr Ramachandra Rao was born on August 7, 1966 and his father Justice M. Jagannadha Rao is a former judge of the Supreme Court. Mr C. Praveen Kumar is son of noted senior criminal lawyer Mr C. Padmanabha Reddy. He was born on February 26, 1961 and is well versed in criminal and civil laws besides in services laws.