The Supreme Court of India has upheld the arrest of K Rajasekhar Reddy, a key accused in the ₹3,200 crore Andhra Pradesh liquor scam.
Reddy, who served as an IT advisor to former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, was taken into custody in April 2025 by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) at Hyderabad airport.
Case Background
A bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan dismissed Reddy’s petition challenging the legality of his arrest, stating that it did not violate constitutional protections under Article 22 or statutory requirements under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The court noted that the grounds of
arrest provided to Reddy were sufficient to inform him of the reasons for his detention, thereby enabling him to prepare an effective legal defense. The bench emphasized that the obligation to inform an arrested person of the grounds of arrest is a mandatory constitutional requirement.
Reddy’s counsel argued that his arrest was illegal, contending that he was not named in the initial First Information Report (FIR) and was added as an accused only two days before his arrest. They also claimed that the grounds of arrest were vague and lacked material particulars.
The Andhra Pradesh CID, however, maintained that Reddy was the “key person” behind the alleged ₹3,200 crore
earlier ruling, which had also upheld the legality of Reddy’s arrest and remand. The top court clarified that Reddy is free to apply for regular bail before the trial court, which must decide on the application in accordance with the law.
This ruling underscores the judiciary’s stance on upholding procedural safeguards while ensuring that legal processes are not misused to hinder investigations into serious economic offenses.
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