NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has decided to appoint a special prosecutor for the 2015 cash-for-vote scam case involving Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The court was addressing a petition requesting the trial be moved from Telangana to Bhopal due to concerns over a fair trial, citing Revanth Reddy's current roles as Chief Minister and Home Minister.
Senior advocate C Aryama Sundaram, representing BRS MLA Guntakandla Jagadish Reddy and others, argued that Revanth Reddy’s public statements could impact the trial’s impartiality. The court will consult with Telangana colleagues and issue an order at 2 pm.
The case dates back to May 31, 2015, when Revanth Reddy, then with the TDP, was allegedly caught bribing an MLA to support his party’s candidate in the legislative council elections. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had arrested him and others, who were later granted bail.
The petition argues that Revanth Reddy's influential positions could pressure witnesses and affect the trial's fairness, seeking the transfer of the trial to Bhopal for an unbiased process. The Supreme Court had previously deferred a separate challenge from Revanth Reddy regarding the jurisdiction of the ACB court.
In July 2015, the ACB filed charges against Revanth Reddy and others, claiming evidence of bribery and criminal conspiracy.