Justice K.C. Bhanu on Tuesday set aside the bail granted to Mohammed Asghar Ali, prime accused in the Haren Pandya murder case, who was acquitted by the Gujarat High Court in August 2011, and subsequently arrested in a separate case. The city police arrested Asghar Ali on October 23, 2011 in Gujarat, on charges of helping one Mirza Fayaz Baig to escape from its custody from Nampally court premises in 1998.

Fayaz Baig was later killed in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir. The VIII Metropolitan Sessions Judge had granted Asghar Ali bail on January 6, 2012. The police challenged the order before the High Court, saying that several criminal cases are pending against him, including a bomb blast case. While cancelling the bail order, the judge directed the lower court to complete the trial within two months.

Don’t be biased, Judge tells CBI
Cautioning the CBI to treat all the accused in the case equally, Justice K.C. Bhanu on Tuesday adjourned hearing on a plea by the CBI seeking cancellation bail to B.P. Acharya, IAS, prime accused in the Emaar scam to Thursday. Mr Acharya's counsel Surender Rao urged the court to adjourn the hearing to enable him to file a counter affidavit on the plea as he had just received the notice in the case.

While conceding the request, the judge said that he will hear the bail plea of Koneru Rajendra Prasad, another accused in the case, on the same day. At this juncture, Mr Rajendra Prasad's counsel C. Padmanabha Reddy complained that the CBI has been discriminating between the accused. He pointed out that his client was arrested in November, 2011, and was still in judicial custody, while Mr Acharya was released on bail.

CBI told to follow rules
Justice R. Subhash Reddy on Tuesday directed the CBI to follow the procedure as contemplated under Sections 160 and 161 Cr.PC to examine Rakesh Babu. Rakesh Babu is the brother-in-law of IAS officer Y. Srilakshmi who is accused in OMC illegal mining case. The judge ruled that “if the attendance and examination of the petitioner is required in connection with any crime, respondents are directed to follow the procedure as contemplated under Sections 160 and 161 CrPC. If any statement of the petitioner is to be recorded, the same shall be recorded in the presence of one advocate of his choice, pending further orders.”

Rakesh Babu had moved the court seeking relief from attending the office of the CBI in Hyderabad or anywhere else, in connection with the OMC illegal mining case. He complained that the CBI has been unnecessarily summoning him even though he was not connected with the offence. Rakesh Babu also complained that he was being threatened with dire consequences by the CBI officials if he did not give evidence against Ms Srilakshmi.

SKS moves HC on review orders
SKS Microfinance Ltd approached the High Court on Tuesday, challenging the directions issued by the Society for Elimination for Rural Poverty (SERP) to the district collectors and SPs to review cases and file chargesheets against its officers in their respective districts by March 26. Company MD M.R. Rao told the court that the SERP CEO had issued directions asking the district administration to direct concerned SHOs to speed up the process of filing chargesheets by reopening cases wherever required by March 26. The CEO mentioned that 76 suicide deaths were due to harassment of microfinance institutions and assured of required support to the district authorities concerned for reopening the cases.