Revanth Reddy gets nod for 4-nation tour, court relaxes bribe case bail conditions
An Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Hyderabad has granted conditional permission to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the prime accused in the cash-for-vote case
An Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Hyderabad has granted conditional permission to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the prime accused in the cash-for-vote case, to travel abroad, temporarily relaxing the conditions imposed on him in connection with the case. Reddy had moved the court seeking interim custody of his passports and permission to travel to the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and China from August 17 to September 10. In his plea, the Chief Minister said the official visit was aimed at meeting industry leaders and attracting investments to Telangana.
Read Full Story The special ACB court noted that the Telangana government had approved the proposed tour, subject to Reddy obtaining the necessary political clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs. It also recorded that the investigating officer had raised no objection to his travel, provided certain conditions were imposed. Allowing his plea, the court directed Reddy to furnish a surety of Rs 1 lakh and provide the addresses and contact details of the places where he would stay during the foreign tour.
He was also directed to file an affidavit undertaking to surrender his passports by September 18 following his return to India. Subject to these conditions, the court permitted Reddy to undertake the four-nation tour and granted him interim custody of his passports for the duration of the visit. The 2015 cash-for-vote case stems from a sting operation conducted by the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau against Reddy, who was then a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislator. The ACB alleged that Reddy was caught offering Rs 50 lakh in cash as an advance bribe to nominated Anglo-Indian MLA Elvis Stephenson.
According to the probe agency, the payment was part of an alleged Rs 5 crore deal to secure Stephenson's vote, or at least his abstention, in favour of TDP candidate Vem Narendar Reddy in the Telangana Legislative Council elections. Reddy was subsequently arrested in the case and spent about a month in Hyderabad's Cherlapally Jail before being granted bail. Ends
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