The state government’s decision to bear legal expenses of five ministers who had been sent notices by the Supreme Court has not gone down well with senior Congress leaders. They fear that the senior counsel representing the ministers will weaken the CBI's illegal assets case against Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Two former ministers also said on Monday that it was not fair on the government's part to defend the decisions (the controversial GOs) taken by the five ministers while denying the same benefit to former minister Mopidevi Venkataramana who is now in judicial remand. Speaking to mediapersons on condition of anonymity, the former ministers also said that the decision of the government to bear the expenses would set a wrong precedent as there would be a flood of similar requests from other ministers.
“How can the government bear the expenses after it kept silent and did not respond to the petition filed by political leaders P. Shankar Rao and K. Yerrannaidu against Jagan in the AP High Court though it was made a party and respondent?” they asked. Meanwhile, senior AP High Court advocate S. Ramachandra Rao said, “The senior SC counsel defending the ministers’ actions regarding the controversial GOs will not only weaken the CBI’s arguments against Jagan but will also destroy the case itself against him.”
He added that as per Criminal Law, a criminal offence meant that the offence was against the state and the government had no right to arrange legal aid for ministers to argue against the state’s interests. “Tax payers’ money should be spent only when the state or public interest is involved; in this case, where is the state or public interest in defending ministers who took the decisions in their personal capacity?” Mr Rao argued.
Meanwhile sources close to the five ministers rejected the argument that defending issuance of 26 GOs will weaken the case against Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy. The ministers argue that the CBI filed cases against the Kadapa MP and the other accused based on the evidence about the involvement of the accused in the questionable deals under the Prevention of Corruption Act, sources said. “As far as our involvement in the issuance of the GOs are concerned, at no point of time were we involved in the deals, the decisions were taken at the Cabinet level and accordingly, the GOs were issued. We are not involved in any corruption like Mr Venkataramana,” a minister told this correspondent.
“We are pained at being branded as corrupted, tainted and are censured by both the media and the Opposition. At no stage were we made an accused by any investigating agency so far," the minister said. With regard to charges against Mr Venkataramana, sources said he was charged with modifying the Cabinet decisions on Vanpic lands, and was also alleged to have taken some money, but it is not the same case with the other ministers.
Source also pointed out that the CBI, in its reply to the SC, had clarified that it has already looking into the role of the ministers in the issuance of the 26 GOs and found there was no corruption activity or quid pro quo involved. “Taking this into account, there is nothing wrong for the state government in extending legal aid to the ministers as they have not taken any decision other than what the Cabinet approved,” the source said.