Jagan DA case: Court dismisses CBI memos against two ministers

A special CBI court today dismissed the memos filed by the CBI against two former Andhra Pradesh ministers accused in a corruption case involving YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, seeking their judicial custody.
Referring to the CBI plea seeking judicial custody of former state Home minister P Sabitha Reddy and the former roads and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, for their alleged comments that "they will come out clean" of the case, principal special judge for CBI cases, U Durga Prasad in his order said, "This court finds no merits in the memos filed by the CBI."
The two former ministers were made accused in the Dalmia Cements and VANPIC aspects of Jagan assets cases and merely because they were allowed to go by furnishing bonds and sureties would not make them completely free, the special public prosecutor of the central agency had earlier argued.

"This court perused the CDs and their transcriptions. In this context when the statements of accused (Dharmana and Sabitha) were carefully perused, the words and expressions therein either isolatedly or conjunctively did not disclose any incriminating material so as to adversely influence the minds of the witnesses," the judge observed in the orders.
When the context in which the statement is given is analysed it will not appear incriminating, as argued by special public prosecutor.
In spite of its plain meaning if any witness mistook it otherwise, it will not be apt to find fault with accused on that count, the judge said and accordingly dismissed the memos.

On June 7, the CBI had filed memos in the court seeking judicial custody of Dharmana and Sabitha accusing them of deliberately making statements to the media (TV channels) claiming innocence, which it said could affect further investigation and influence witnesses.
It further accused the two former ministers of trying to intimidate the witnesses who deposed against them.