High Court Issues Stay On ACB Court Order On Naidu

Upon reviewing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's counter-petition, the Hyderabad High Court today issued a stay on the Anti-Corruption Bureau's order on the note-for-vote scam.

Recently, the ACB court, on a petition filed by YSR Congress Party MLA Akella Ramakrishna Reddy who sought a thorough investigation into the alleged involvement of the TDP supremo in the note-for-vote scam, directed the ACB to reinvestigate the case. However the CM filed a counter-petition in the High Court challenging the ACB court's orders.

The counsel of Chandrababu Naidu argued in the HC that the MLA had no locus standi in the case, and sought the quashing of the re-investigation order. It was also argued that the "forensic evidence" in the form of a tapped phone conversation between MLA Elvis Stephenson and Naidu was not requested by any court, and was out of legal bounds.

Acting on the counter-petition, Justice Raja Elango issued the stay on the ACB court's order and adjourned the hearing for eight weeks, asking the ACB special public prosecutor to file a document detailing their argument.

In a meeting outside the court, MLA Reddy's counsel P Sudhakar Reddy claimed that the HC only granted the stay of the ACB court's memo, and that there was no stay on the investigation itself.

Another senior advocate Arun Kumar said that the investigation was still pending and that there was no stay on it. "The High Court has given only interim orders on the ACB court's memo for eight weeks," he said.

Petitioner Ramakrishna Reddy said that he would approach the Supreme Court as well, and would file a review petition in the High Court.