The AP high court on Tuesday stayed the preliminary enquiries it had previously ordered by the CBI, Enforcement Directorate, the state government and the state police against former chief minister and Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu and others.
A division bench comprising Justice G. Rohini and Justice Ashutosh Mohunta granted interim orders by keeping in abeyance the order passed by another division Bench comprising Justice Ghulam Mohammed and Justice Nooty Ramamohana Rao on November 14.
The earlier order had directed the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and the state police to investigate into “indulgences” by Mr Naidu when he was chief minister and to submit their reports in sealed covers to the high court within three months.
The bench had granted the interim order while admitting a plea by Pulivendula MLA Y.S. Vijayalakshmi.
On Tuesday, while dealing with petitions of Mr Naidu and others to vacate the earlier order, the Bench asked the concerned agencies not to proceed further till further orders.
On behalf of petitioners Reliance Industries (one of the alleged beneficiaries during Mr Naidu’s tenure), senior Supreme Court counsel Harish Salve pleaded that Ms Vijayalakshmi should be unsuited from the case. He argued that by stating that she did not have confidence in the bench, the petitioner had violated the basic premise of a public interest litigation which was non-adversarial and thus she must be unsuited.