Supreme Court rejects plea for probe against Naidu

New Delhi  :  The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a plea that sought a CBI probe against Telugu Desam Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu for allegedly benefiting several companies during his tenure as the Andhra Pradesh chief minister from 1996 to 2004.

The apex court bench of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla declined to interfere with the state high court order which earlier rejected Y.S. Vijaya’s plea for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

Vijaya is the widow of the late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy who was killed in a helicopter crash in September 2009, and is the honorary president of the YSR Congress Party. Vijaya is the mother of MP Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The high court said that Vijaya had suppressed the fact that late chief minister Y.S Rajshekhar Reddy too had made these allegations and made pleas to that effect.

The high court had also noted that both Vijaya and Naidu were political opponents.

Vijaya alleged that Naidu favoured a company with mining leases wheeled with kickbacks which in turn were invested in a media company Eenadu TV owned by Ramoji Rao who was sympathetic to the TDP.

The apex court, while declining Vijaya’s plea, said that the high court had given a reasoned order and it warranted no interference.

Observing that it had expressed no final opinion by declining her plea, the court said that she could move the competent authority to lodge her complaint.

The apex court said that she was free to move the apex court if her complaint before the competent authority was not entertained or she was aggrieved by their response.