Cash-for-bail: Andhra ACB summons two Karnataka MLAs

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Hyderabad, July 24, 2012: Andhra Pradesh ACB, which is probing the cash-for-bail scandal involving former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, today served notices on two MLAs of that state asking them to appear before it here within three days in connection with the investigation.

"Notices have been served on Janardhan Reddy’s elder brother and Bellary city MLA Gali Somashekhar Reddy and another legislator T H Suresh Babu," a senior official of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), supervising the case told PTI adding that they have asked them to appear before ACB here within three days. Somashekhar, Suresh Babu and Janardhan Reddy’s relative Dasaratha Ram Reddy (who has already been arrested by ACB) have been accused of allegedly bribing the suspended judge T Pattabhirama Rao in granting bail to mining baron Janardhan Reddy.

Earlier, in its complaint to the ACB the CBI had said that Somashekhar Reddy, Dasaratha Ram Reddy, Suresh Babu, an advocate T Aditya and retired judge T V Chalapathi Rao and Pattabhirama Rao and others had allegedly entered into a conspiracy for showing official favour and granting bail to Janardhan Reddy and committed criminal conduct.

The case was first cracked by CBI after Pattabhirama Rao, who was additional special judge for CBI court, granted bail to Janardhan Reddy while rejecting the bail plea of suspended IAS officer Y Srilakshmi in connection with OMC scam.

Amid allegations of illegal gratification and corruption against Pattabhirama Rao, the Andhra Pradesh High Court suspended him on May 31 while transferring the case to ACB.The ACB has so far arrested three serving judges, including Pattabhirama Rao, besides six others.