The AP High Court on Saturday sent Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to five days in CBI custody for further questioning in the illegal investments case. He had earlier been sent to judicial custody till June 10 by the special CBI court.
Though the CBI had sought custody for 10 days, the court granted only five days from Sunday. Justice B. Chandra Kumar allowed the agency to question Jagan from June 3 to 7 from 10.30 am to 5 pm in the presence of his lawyer. The judge also warned the CBI not to use any coercive methods.
Sources said the CBI may grill Jagan at its headquarters at Kendriya Sadan at Koti or at the Dilkusha Guest House. He will be returned to prison every day after interrogation. On Friday, the CBI court had dismissed Jagan’s plea for interim bail to campaign for the upcoming bypolls.
Judge justifies CBI custody of Jagan
Justice B. Chandra Kumar said that following the arrest of industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad and bureaucrat K.V. Brahmananda Reddy, the CBI had found evidence of investments worth Rs 846cr, including from foreign countries, made in Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s companies. The judge felt that the Kadapa MP’s custody was required for the CBI to know more about the transfer of funds between companies and countries.
Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy will be questioned regarding investments made into the companies by various firms, including a few based in Luxembourg, Mauritius, Hong Kong and Virgin Islands. The CBI has also alleged that the Kadapa MP routed the investments through hawala channels into his businesses.
The judge observed that the right of the investigating agency to question the accused could not be scuttled and added that apprehension of torture of the accused in custodial interrogation had no basis as Jagan Mohan Reddy had not made any such allegations before the lower court while being remanded to judicial custody after three days of questioning at the Dilkusha Guest House.