NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to transfer the trial in the 2015 cash-for-vote case involving Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and others from Telangana to Bhopal.
The court instructed Reddy not to interfere with the prosecution's work in the case and ordered that the Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) should not report to the Telangana CM regarding the prosecution.
Reddy’s counsel argued that the plea for transferring the trial was motivated by political reasons. The Supreme Court expressed its displeasure over Reddy's earlier remarks concerning the bail granted to rival Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect among the three branches of government.
The bench, comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan, acknowledged an affidavit in which Reddy apologized to the court, stating that it did not wish to pursue the matter further. However, it cautioned all constitutional officials to perform their duties within their designated spheres.
While the court welcomed fair criticism of its decisions, it advised against crossing established boundaries.
The ruling came during the hearing of a plea filed by BRS MLA Guntakandla Jagadish Reddy and three others who sought to move the trial from Telangana to Bhopal.
On May 31, 2015, Revanth Reddy, then with the Telugu Desam Party, was arrested by the ACB for allegedly attempting to bribe MLA Elvis Stephenson with ₹50 lakh in exchange for support in legislative council elections. Others involved were also arrested but later granted bail.