The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 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.
Reacting to news of the CBI chargesheet filed in the illegal assets case involving him, Jagan, while speaking at his 'Odarpu Yatra' here on Sunday night, defended the land allotments during his late father's regime.
"The lands were allotted to private companies in backward Mahaboobnagar and Medak districts to generate large scale employment," he said.
"Why the CBI cannot see the land allocation in the heart of Hyderabad allegedly made by TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu at throwaway prices and also during the present Congress government," he asked.
Also, unfazed by the developments in the case involving him, Jagan is going ahead with campaign in Assembly segments where bypolls will be held.
More chargesheets
The federal agency is planning to file more chargesheets. The first chargesheet 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.
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 chargesmade against his client were baseless.
The Kanimozhi fate?
According to legal experts, Jagan’s case is similar to that of DMK's Kanimozhi’s in the 2G scam and it is up to the CBI special court at Nampally to send him to judicial custody.
Sources said the court, after taking cognisance of the chargesheet filed against Jaganmohan Reddy, can issue summons and decide on his arrest or bail.
The MP has to appear before the court once the summons are issued and he can file a bail application and later a discharge petition.
However, the CBI has an option in the other conspiracies, for which chargesheets will be filed soon, to affect an arrest if it feels that Jaganmohan Reddy and the other accused are influencing witnesses.
"The court will decide on it after taking cognisance. But in the other chargesheets that are to be filed, we still have the option of arrest."