Disproportionate asset case: Jagan appears before CBI court for trial

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy appeared before the special court on Friday for the ongoing trial related to cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against him for allegedly owning assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Reddy became the third chief minister in India after J Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu and Lalu Prasad of Bihar to appear before a court while holding CM’s office.

This was the first time Reddy appeared before the court since becoming CM in May last year.


Amid heavy security by Hyderabad police at the CBI court, media persons were restricted to the main gain of the court. People aware of the matter told ET that during nearly two hours of in-camera proceedings in the CBI court, Reddy urged the court to club all the 11 chargesheets CBI filed against him for the trial. He also sought exemption from personal appearance before the court in the five chargesheets filed by the Enforcement Directorate.

The court will next hear the case on January 17. Opposition Telugu Desam Party raised objections to Reddy using funds from the state exchequer for his air travel and appearance before the court and demanded that he bear the cost since it was a personal case.

The CBI had filed charges against Reddy in 2012 in 11 cases, accusing him of amassing a wealth of more than `1 lakh crore by misusing the office of his late father, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who was then the CM of the undivided Andhra Pradesh.