Government withdraws ‘phantom’ cases against Jagan

By V V Balakrishna - HYDERABAD

18th December 2012 09:18 AM

    The state government on Monday dropped prosecution against Kadapa MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and others in two cases dating back to the Samaikyandhra agitation in 2009. But if the Kadapa police are to be believed, the YSR Congress leader’s name had never figured in the FIR filed in the two cases and, therefore the question of dropping charges against him did not arise.
Asked how come, the Law Deparment and home minister Sabita Indra Reddy both shrugged their shoulders.
As per the state government’s decision to withdraw cases against people who took part in the pro-Telangana and Samaikyandhra agitations in 2009, R Damodar, secretary to the government (legislative affairs and Justice) issued two GOs on Monday, purporting to state that Jagan Mohan Reddy and other accused would not be prosecuted in the two cases.
As per the mystery GOs, one of the cases was registered by the Pulivendula (Urban) police station against 30 accused under Sections 143, 452, 353 and 436 read with Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code; another case was filed under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage of Public Property Act 1984 and Section 7(1) of the Criminal Law Act. In both these cases, as per the GO, Jagan is accused no. 30.
The charges were that the accused burnt a BSNL tower, set fire to a BSNL office, an MRO office and an R&B office. The cases were pending before the assistant sessions judge in Kadapa district.
However, when contacted by Express, the Kadapa police said there was only one case pending against Jagan in Pulivenduala and that was registered in 2011 and it has nothing to do with the Samikyandhra movement of 2009. “There are no such cases pending against Jagan in the Pulivenduala police station dating back to 2009,’’ a police official, requesting anonymity, said.
Elaborating, the source said, “We took legal opinion on dropping cases against 22 accused who participated in the Samaikyandhra agitation in 2009. The 22 names were sent to the government for process. Jagan’s name was not in that list.”
The Kadapa police official confirmed that there were three cases relating to the 2009 Samaikyandhra riots (191, 192 and 193 of 2009) in the Pulivendula Urban police station. They all relate to arson of government property. “Jagan’s name is not there in any of them,” said the source.
Asked how the list of 22 accused in the case ballooned to 30 in Monday’s GOs, law secretary R Damodar told Express that his staff only issued the GOs as per a request by the Home Department. Law Department staff had nothing to do with the names of accused, he said.
And the home minister passed the buck to the Police Department.