Roads and Buildings Minister B Dharmana Prasada Rao on Thursday appeared before the CBI Special Court at Nampally in connection with the Vanpic aspect of disproportionate assets case of YSR Congress party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy.
This was the second personal appearance of Prasada Rao before the CBI Court. He executed a bond of Rs 25,000, and furnished two sureties for an equivalent amount before the court on September 25. He was directed by the court to appear again on October 9. However, he could not appear in person due to the demise of his mother.
Dharmana was named as the fifth accused in the fourth charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation on August 14 in the case pertaining to alleged quid-pro-quo deals involving Jaganmohan Reddy. He was the revenue minister in the YS Rajasekhara Reddy's regime between 2004 and 2009 including the period when the Vanpic project was conceived.
The CBI had alleged that, as the Revenue Minister in 2008-09, Dharmana Prasada Rao played a key role in fixing low market prices for the Vanpic land and acted in connivance with another accused Nimmagadda Prasad.
The minister has already submitted his resignation to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and a decision in this regard is yet to be taken.
Meanwhile, in the Emaar case, former IAS officer BP Acharya, Vijaya Raghavan and Shravan Gupta also appeared before the CBI court. (INN)