AP HC declines to stay NIA probe into attack on YSRC chief

The Andhra Pradesh High Court Wednesday refused to grant a stay on the NIA probe into an attack on opposition YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

The NIA, meanwhile, filed a charge-sheet in the case in a special court in Vijayawada, naming J Srinivasa Rao as the prime accused, police said.

The high court dismissed the interim plea of the Chandrababu Naidu government for a stay on the Union Home Ministry's recent order directing the NIA to probe the case related to the knife attack on Reddy at Visakapatnam airport in October last year.

In its petition, the state government also sought to quash the order for National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe.

The government, which has refused to co-operate with the NIA and had not handed over the case documents, contended that the state police's investigation into the case was almost complete.

Entrusting the case to the NIA at this stage was not proper, it submitted.

The state government also sought a stay on the special court's order directing it to hand over the case documents to the NIA.

Assistant Solicitor General Krishna Mohan, who appeared for the Centre, countered the state's argument, saying the stay petition was only to block the NIA probe.

The state government was refusing to hand over the case documents to the NIA despite court orders, he added.

The ASG also pointed out that handing over the case to the NIA was not the Centre's own decision but was based on a high court order.

The state government was required to co-operate with the NIA investigation as per the law, he added.

Upon hearing the arguments of both sides, the high court asked the Centre to file its counter by January 30.

The high court did not accept the state government's pleas on both counts. The Centre will file its counter by January 30 and there is no stay on NIA investigation, Reddy's lawyer Venkatesh Sarma told reporters.

Reddy, leader of opposition in the state assembly, suffered an injury on his left shoulder when Srinivasa Rao, a chef, attacked him with a knife inside the VIP lounge at Visakhapatnam airport on October 25.

The Visakhapatnam airport police registered a case of attempt to murder against the accused, while the state government constituted a special investigation team to probe the case.

The accused is currently lodged in the Rajamahendravaram prison under judicial remand.

On January 2, Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Mahesh Chandra Laddha had said the attack had been carried out by the accused for becoming 'famous' and there was no conspiracy.

Citing the 'findings' of the SIT, he had also said Rao was suffering from "split personality syndrome" and had no other motive.