TRS MLA poaching case: HC extends stay on notice to BJP leader BL Santhosh

The Telangana High Court on Monday, December 5, extended the stay on a notice to BJP leader BL Santhosh, issued by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing into the TRS MLA poaching case. The court extended the stay order till December 13. Earlier, it had, on November 25, stayed the notice till December 5.

The SIT had earlier issued notices to Santhosh and others to appear before it for questioning on November 21. However, they failed to do so. Based on court direction, the SIT issued another notice to Santhosh to appear before it either on November 26 or 28. Santhosh and three others were named as accused by the SIT in the case.

Based on the investigations so far, the SIT filed a memo in a Special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court adding the names of Santhosh and two persons from Kerala — Jaggu Swami and Tushar Vellapally — besides an advocate, B Srinivas, as accused in the case. Besides them, three people — Ramachandra Bharati alias Satish Sharma, Nanda Kumar and Simhayaji Swamy — were already named as accused in the case after a complaint was lodged by TRS MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy, among four legislators, on October 26.

As per the FIR, Rohith Reddy alleged that the accused offered him Rs 100 crore in exchange for switching parties for the next Assembly election. Earlier in December, the SIT submitted a three-page notice to the High Court, which alleged that the most important meeting, during which the conspiracy was discussed, was held at BL Santhosh’s residence. According to the SIT, Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) chief Tushar Vellapally, Ramachandra Bharati, businessman Nanda Kumar and M Vijay Kumar attended the meeting. Documentary evidence including photographs, calls, messages, cell phone tower locations etc. were cited in the note.