YSR Congress Chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday moved the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking direction to the state government and jail authorities to allow him to communicate his statements through media in view of the forthcoming byelections on June 12.
Jagan is presently under CBI custody in connection with an alleged disproportionate assets case. The Kadapa MP requested the high court to allow him to communicate, publish and telecast his letters, verbal appeals to the electorate of Andhra Pradesh in both the print and electronic media in accordance with law, during the period of his custody in Chanchalguda Prison here.
Jagan, son of late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was arrested by the central agency on May 27 and is under judicial remand till June 11 and lodged at Chanchalguda jail. The high court had last week granted Jagan's custody to CBI for five days till June 7.
In the application filed through his counsel Jagan said "I am heading a political party (YSR Congress) which is contesting the elections and I have been deprived of my right under law to participate in electioneering in support of the candidates nominated by YSR Congress Party to contest in the ensuing by-elections by reason of the events leading to my being lodged in central prison".
Expressing his desire to communicate with the people of the state, Jagan sought to express his views and thoughts on various current affairs, including the political ideology of YSR Congress Party, in the form of communications to the media, print and electronic, and further sought to declare the refusal of the government and prison authorities to permit him in this regard as 'unconstitutional and illegal'.
CBI, which has so far filed three chargesheets in the case, has accused Jagan of getting investments of several crores of rupees from numerous firms into his own businesses as part of quid-pro-quo when his father Y S Rajsekhara Reddy was chief minister.
Bypolls to 18 Assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat will be held in Andhra Pradesh on June 12.