11 CBI chargesheets and 9 ED complaints but still no hearing, what is the problem in the case against Jagan Mohan Reddy?

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has expressed its displeasure over the delay in the hearing of the corruption case against former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Kumar and R. Mahadevan has adjourned the next hearing of the case to the first week of November 11. There are serious allegations of corruption against Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and these cases have been going on against him/her for a long time. The CBI has filed 11 charge sheets and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed 9 complaints, but the hearing has not started. The Supreme Court has expressed strong displeasure with the CBI over the delay in starting the hearing.

Jagan is out on bail since 2013

According to The Print, YSRCP chief Jagan has been out on bail since 2013. The Supreme Court has expressed displeasure over the delay in hearing the corruption cases against Jagan. The court had already given instructions to expedite the proceedings, but the hearing has not started yet. Giving information about this, lawyer Balaji Srinivasan said, ‘The court was upset that the hearing has not started yet. Since instructions were passed earlier to expedite the proceedings, the court did not give any such instructions now.’ The Supreme Court has sought an answer from the CBI about why the hearing is being delayed in the ongoing corruption cases against Jagan Mohan Reddy.

‘CBI is being lenient towards Jagan’

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister P. Raju has demanded cancellation of Jagan’s bail. Raju says that the CBI is being lenient towards Jagan and is not taking the case to its logical conclusion. Jagan, who was a Lok Sabha MP from Kadapa from 2009 to 2014. he/she was arrested by the CBI in May 2012. he/she remained in Hyderabad jail until he/she got bail in September 2013. he/she was the leader of the opposition in Andhra Pradesh from 2014 to 2019 and then became the Chief Minister for the next five years. The TDP won the assembly elections held this year.

29 criminal cases are pending

According to an affidavit filed by Jagan ahead of this year’s state elections, 29 criminal cases are pending against him/her. Of these, 11 cases are being investigated by the CBI, including charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy and under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Nine money laundering cases are being investigated by the ED. In November last year, the Supreme Court had asked the CBI about the reasons for the delay in starting the trial in corruption cases related to the YSRCP chief. Raju, in his/her petition to the court, had alleged that the CBI was being lenient with the accused and was not taking the criminal trial to its logical end.

What was the reason given for the delay in the hearing in CBI?

This April, the court ordered the CBI to file an affidavit explaining the delay and responding to Raju’s plea seeking cancellation of Jagan’s bail. The CBI, in its affidavit, denied all the allegations against it and cited the understaffed trial court in Hyderabad and the large number of witnesses and documents to be examined (911 witnesses and 1,671 documents in 11 collective cases) as reasons for the delay in the trial.

…So is this the reason behind CBI’s soft behavior?

According to ‘The Print’, in a copy of the affidavit, the agency has also opposed Raju’s pleas. YSRCP has given significant support to the BJP-NDA in passing bills in Parliament in the last five years. Jagan has had a good relationship with the BJP leadership. TDP termed his/her frequent meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an attempt to get protection from the CBI.