HC Directs CBI To Defreeze Sakshi Accounts

In a major setback to the CBI, the High Court, on Wednesday, directed it to defreeze the accounts of Sakshi newspaper and Indira Television, on certain conditions.

Delivering interim orders after hearing arguments and counter-arguments, High Court judge Justice Chandra Kumar struck down the freezing of Sakshi's accounts.

The accounts of Sakshi, a media group owned by YSR Congress president and Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, were frozen by the CBI in connection with the case of alleged disproportionate assets of Jagan.

The court observed that Sakshi could transact all business activities through cheque payments, and directed it to submit a report on its business activities to the CBI by the 10th of every month.

The revenues from advertisements and newspaper sales could be used for the payment of salaries to the employees, and to run the business, it said.

The court also imposed a ban on the sale, transfer, lease and pledging of Sakshi properties.

Allowing the media house to run its current account as usual, the court observed that banks cannot refund the amounts in the fixed deposits without bringing them to its notice.

Meanwhile, the court directed Jagathi Publications, Janani Infra and Indira Television to provide bank guarantees to the amount kept in the current bank accounts. (INN)