SC notice to CBI on PW auditor's bail plea

The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a petition filed by Price Waterhouse (PW) auditor Srinivas Talluri, who was arrested in Satyam fraud case for allegedly conniving with its founder B Ramalinga Raju and other aides.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan sought response from the agency on the appeal of Talluri against the decision of the Andhra Pradesh High Court rejecting his bail.

The High Court had recently rejected the bail pleas of the two PW auditors S Gopalakrishnan and Talluri accused in the Rs 7,136 crore accounting fraud at Satyam Computer Services.

Talluri, while denying any criminal wrongdoing in its appeal, has said his role was minimal and charged CBI with adopting an unprofessional approach by linking all the accused.

The auditors were arrested on January 24 on charges of conspiring in the fraud and had been in judicial custody at the Chanchalguda central jail in Hyderabad.

CBI has already filed chargesheet against B Ramalinga Raju, the founder of Satyam, and eight others including the two auditors.