YSR Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Jagan Mohan Reddy lodged in judicial custody in disproportionate assets case, on Monday approached the Supreme Court for bail after the Andhra Pradesh high court had dismissed his petition earlier.
Jagan Mohan obtained the services of a battery of lawyers, including senior advocate Aman Lekhi who settled the special leave petition, for bail and they were making efforts to get it included in the mentioning list for early hearing, possibly on Tuesday.
Other counsel Gopal Shankaranarayanan and Santhil Jagadeesan engaged by Mr Reddy were busy in preparing the case to ensure that it is taken up as soon as possibly by the SC.
Mr Reddy’s team, though, has raised at least 19 grounds to challenge the HC’s July 4 verdict rejecting his bail petition, but its main focus is on the alleged “misuse” of the CBI due to “political reasons”.
He has alleged that the CBI, otherwise, “has wholly failed to show a shred of proof” against him.
Mr Reddy has claimed that he had fully cooperated with the CBI before his arrest and the agency had also “failed” to show to the court any evidence to support its charge that he would “tamper with” the evidence, still the bail was denied to him by both the trial judge as well as the HC.
Though the CBI was probing his case for more than 9 months and did not even consider his arrest necessary after fling of three chargesheets but suddenly it became hyperactive due to apparent political reasons, Mr Reddy alleged.
“Whether, merely by virtue of being in public life, the petitioner is disqualified from the basic rights available to an accused under Article 21 of the Constitution, or whether an application of bail can be rejected merely on the basis of the status of the accused,” the petition said.
“The petitioner respectfully submits that he will abide by all the conditions as may be imposed by him by the SC,” Mr Reddy in his SLP stated while challenging the HC order. He also challenged the HC findings in its order that special CBI judge while rejecting his interim anticipatory bail, had not heard the CBI counsel.