Jagan custody extended till 25 June, will miss by-polls

YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy’s campaign for the 12 June by polls being held in Andhra Pradesh took a hit today when a special CBI court today extended his judicial custody till 25 June.

Reddy’s custody was scheduled to end today, but the CBI had sought an extension on the basis that they were unhappy with the answers he had provided during interrogation. Reddy is in custody as part of a CBI investigation into a disproportionate assets case.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court had on Friday given Jagan’s custody to the CBI for two days till 10 June and directed the agency to question him during the day in presence of his lawyers.

The CBI had sought the custody of Jagan, saying it needed to confront him over the facts emerging out of its investigation into the Vodarevu and Nizampatnam Port and Industrial Corridor (Vanpic) project.

The agency also informed the court that the accused did not cooperate with the agency during his last 5-day custody that ended on 7 June.

The CBI said it wanted an extension of Jagan’s custody in order to verify that alleged investments of Rs 850 crore made in his businesses which the agency believes were part of quid pro quo transactions in return for favours doled out by the then government of Jagan’s father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.. The CBI also sought to gather information on alleged transfer of funds from different companies and countries that finally reached the firms owned by Jagan.

The CBI has so far filed three chargesheets in the case, and has accused Jagan of getting investments amounting to several crores of rupees from firms into his own businesses, when his father the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

By polls for 18 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat are to be held in Andhra Pradesh tomorrow and following Reddy’s arrest, his mother and sister have been handling the party’s campaign.