[AMARAVATI LAND SCAM] YS Jagan Mohan Reddy govt attempting to foist false cases on TDP leaders as revenge: Varla Ramaiah tells Supreme Court

Telegu Desam Party (TDP) leader Varla Ramaiah has informed the Supreme Court that Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is conducting a fishing and roving expedition in the alleged Amaravati land scam to foist false cases on the members of the former Chandrababu Naidu led government as payback for holding Reddy in jail for 16 months..Reddy had to spent nearly 16 months in jail for offences of money laundering against him when Naidu was the Chief Minister of the State. ."Since he became the Chief Minister on May 30, 2019, he has been acting with a three-fold agenda of taking revenge against people whom he holds to be responsible for the cases being registered against him and going to jail," the affidavit states..[BREAKING] "Insider trading concept cannot be applied to IPC offences;" Andhra Pradesh HC quashes FIR in connection with Amaravati Land Scam .Ramaiah in his counter affidavit before the top court has stated that a perusal of the Terms of Reference of the Sub-Committee formed by Reddy government to probe the Amaravati land scam case "clearly reveals that the purpose of the Sub-Committee was to identify and review every single act of the previous Government without any basis merely to further a political agenda.".It has been submitted that the Term of Reference essentially gives "unfettered powers to the Sub-Committee entirely made up of Ministers" to look into any action or conduct of any person related to the previous government, who belongs to the opposition political party..The Government Order (GO) dated September 26, 2019 constituting the Sub-Committee uses terms such as “unbridled corruption”, “ruthless exploitation of natural resources”, “avaricious grabbing of land”, “serious mismanagement of the financial system” etc. "This clearly demonstrate that the Sub-Committee was formed with mala fide intentions to conduct a roving inquiry, and it would be virtually impossible in such a fishing expedition in general and these circumstances in particular,for the Sub-Committee to function independently and reach any sort of impartial decision," reads the TDP leader's affidavit..In November,2020, three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan had issued notice to Telegu Desam Party (TDP) leader Varla Ramaiah on an appeal by Andhra Pradesh government against an order of Andhra Pradesh High Court staying the probe into Amaravati land scam..Amravati Land Scam case: Supreme Court stays gag order passed by Andhra Pradesh High Court, issues notice amid allegations of "regime revenge".The Bench which also comprised Justices Subhash Reddy and MR Shah had issued notice on the prayer to set aside the High Court order and also on the interim prayer to grant a stay on the September 15 order of the High Court which had stayed a probe by Special Investigation Team into the alleged scam..Ramaiah has also claimed in his affidavit that Reddy government approached Supreme Court from an order of a single-judge of the High Court without exhausting the remedy of approaching a Division Bench of the High Court and that such practice has been deprecated by the top court time and again..The affidavit states that "YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who is out on bail, has only cultivated grudges against certain leaders of the TDP and certain other persons associated with it, perceiving them as being responsible for the above cases being registered against him and his going to jail for around sixteen months"..The SIT by the Reddy government formed under Dr. Kolli Raghuram Reddy, IPS, DIG, Intelligence was conducting “secret inquiries” belaying any procedural law and writing letters to Central agencies such as Principal Commissioner of Income Tax."Such illegal inquiries are an attempt to conduct roving expedition to foist false cases," it has been alleged. .Former Advocate General of Andhra Pradesh, Dammalapati Srinivas has also submitted his response in the case to the Supreme Court. .Srinivas has stated that his professional capacity "was significant in denting the corrupt stronghold of the incumbent chief minister and acts of the incumbent dispensation" which made him wary that he "too may be targeted by the vindictive state."The former AG has contended that Reddy government has been "harassing and intimidating public functionaries and government officials who served the previous government"..Andhra Pradesh High Court bars media from reporting on FIR naming former AG in corruption case.Srinivas has further claimed that he received reliable information that roving enquiries have been conducted into his bank accounts and income tax returns.The FIR against him discloses a massive persecution "campaign against the people affiliated and associated with the erstwhile state government in any manner," Srinivas has alleged. .The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government had constituted an SIT alleging massive irregularities during the previous government's tenure in the case concerning sale of land in Amaravati, the new capital of the divide Andhra Pradesh State. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered by the State’s Anti Corruption Bureau naming many beneficiaries including daughters of a sitting Supreme Court judge.However, TDP leaders Varla Ramaiah and Raja filed a petition in the AP High Court challenging the formation of the SIT pursuant to which the High Court stayed the government orders setting up the SIT. It also barred media from reporting contents of the FIR. The State government then approached the Supreme Court against the High Court order..After the order of High Court, the CM’s principal advisor Ajeya Kallam had, on October 10 held a press conference accusing Supreme Court judge, Justice NV Ramana and the AP High Court of attempting to destabilise and topple the YSR Congress government in the State in connivance with TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu.The Andhra Pradesh High Court while staying the SIT probe had noted that "rule of law demands continuity and a new government cannot be permitted to overturn the decisions of the previous government."