Setback for KCR as Telangana HC transfers BRS MLAs poaching case to CBI

Hyderabad, Dec 27: In a setback for Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his party Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the Telangana High Court on Monday transferred the MLAs' poaching case that is at present being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The High Court also quashed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the investigation carried out so far by the police

The development comes on the backdrop of the claims made by the Telangana government that several MLAs of the ruling BRS were approached to leave the party and join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

After hearing writ petitions filed by the three accused in the case and the BJP seeking transfer of the case from SIT to any independent agency or the CBI, the High Court dismissed the BJP's plea on technical grounds. However, the HC allowed the petitions of the accused and entrusted the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The petitioners sought investigation into the case by an independent agency citing that a fair probe was part of fundamental rights conferred under Article 21 of the Constitution, as reported by PTI.

Three people - Ramachandra Bharati alias Satish Sharma, Nandu Kumar and Simhayaji Swamy - were already named as accused (A1 to A3) in the case after a complaint was lodged by BRS MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy, among four legislators, against them on October 26. The trio was arrested while they were allegedly trying to lure four MLAs of the ruling BRS to join the BJP. Recently, they were granted bail by the High Court.

As per the FIR copy, Rohith Reddy alleged that the accused offered him Rs 100 crore and in return the legislator had to leave the TRS, now BRS, and contest as a BJP candidate in the next Assembly election. They had allegedly asked Reddy to bring more BRS MLAs by offering Rs 50 crore each to join the BJP. The Telangana government on November 9 ordered the setting up of a seven-member SIT to probe into the alleged attempt to poach the MLAs.