The investigation into cricket betting cases took a new turn on Thursday when YSR Congress Party MLA K. Sridhar Reddy refused to appear before the police authorities, saying “it all seemed a political game plan rather than a fair probe”.
He received a notice from police authorities and had to appear before them on Thursday in connection with the betting case registered in March last year.
Addressing a press conference at the party Nellore Rural office, Mr. Reddy said he had been already questioned twice last year, but no charges had been made against him formally till now. “The present notice was regarding a case booked last year. I suspect that I am being implicated falsely only during the time of elections like Rajya Sabha right now,” he added.
Mr. Reddy accused the police authorities of working at the behest of the ruling Telugu Desam Party leaders rather than considering the merits of the case.
He found fault with Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana, saying that the Minister was using the police to harass Opposition leaders as the next elections were only a year away.
Police officers’ objection
Meanwhile, the AP Police Officers’ Association, Nellore district unit, has taken strong objection to Mr. Reddy’s statement finding fault with senior police officers in connection with the investigation in the cricket betting case.
Association president M. Prasada Rao, secretary G. Venu and others said the MLA had started levelling allegations only after a notice was issued to him on Wednesday. It was unfortunate that the MLA was branding police officials as activists of the ruling political party, they said. Mr. Rao demanded that the MLA withdraw his remarks.
