A special court judge suspended for his alleged involvement in a cash-for-bail scam was arrested by the State Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday.
Mr T. Patttabhirama Rao was accused of accepting a bribe running into several crores of rupees in return for bail to former Karnataka minister and mining baron, Mr Gali Janardhana Reddy, in the illegal mining case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the country’s premier investigating agency.
Mr Rao, who was suspended by the Andhra Pradesh High Court pending a probe about two weeks ago, was picked up by ACB sleuths from his residence this morning. He was later produced in the court and remanded.
His son, Mr Ravichandra, and retired judge Mr T V Chalapathi Rao were arrested on Saturday for their alleged role in the crime.
The ACB registered the case on June 8 following a complaint from the CBI alleging that Karnataka MLAs, Mr G Somasekhara Reddy and Mr T. H Suresh Babu, Mr Pattabhirama Rao, his son Mr Ravichandra, and retired judge, Mr Chalapthi Rao along with others, had conspired in the bribery deal.
ED TO QUESTION
Meanwhile, the CBI special court has permitted the Enforcement Directorate to question all the accused (who are now in judicial custody) in a separate illegal assets case relating to the Kadapa MP, Mr Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, in the Emaar Properties case and the illegal mining case. The ED will now question Matrix Laboratories founder, Mr Nimmagadda Prasad, suspended IAS officer, Mr B P Acharya and former special secretary, Mr Brahamandana Reddy in the illegal assts case.
Similarly, IAS officer Ms Srilakshmi, Mr Koneru Prasad and others would be questioned in the other cases.
The ED was directed to question the accused in the presence of their lawyers within 15 days.
nagsridhu@thehindu.co.in