Telangana HC Rejects State Government’s Plea In MLAs Poaching Case

The Telangana High Court on Monday rejects an appeal by the state government challenging the transfer of the investigation into the MLAs’ poaching case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A division bench of Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Tukaramji dismissed the petitions of the state government and MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy challenging the single judge’s order transferring the case relating to the alleged attempt to poach four Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislators to the CBI.

According to the division bench, the single-judge bench’s order cannot be criticised or interfered with. The division bench order paved the way for the CBI’s investigation into the controversial case.

A single bench of Justice B. Vijaysen of the High Court on December 27, 2022, ordered the transfer of the investigation into the case of alleged conspiracy to poach four BRS MLAs to the CBI from the SIT of the state police.

The High Court had quashed a government order under which a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted by the state government to probe the case.

What  is the MLA poaching case?

Three people, Ramachandra Bharati aka Satish Sharma, Nandu Kumar and Simhayaji Swamy were named as accused in the case after a complaint was lodged by BRS MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy, among four legislators, against them on October 26, 2022.

The trio was arrested while they were allegedly trying to lure four MLAs of the ruling BRS to join the BJP. Subsequently, they were granted bail by the High Court.

As per the FIR copy, Rohith Reddy alleged that the accused offered him Rs 100 crore and in return the legislator had to leave BRS, and contest as a BJP candidate in the next Assembly election.

They had allegedly asked Reddy to bring more BRS MLAs by offering Rs 50 crore each to join the BJP.