MLA poaching: SIT names Telangana BJP leader as accused
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Hindustan Times photo.
Hyderabad: In a case of allegedly conspiring to poach four TRS MLAs in Telangana, four BJP leaders, including senior leader BL Santhosh were named as accused by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
On Thursday, officials informed that the SIT issued another notice to BJP national general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh to appear before it. This was after the directions of the Telangana High Court.
PTI was told that Santhosh must submit himself before the SIT on November 26 or 28.
Sources told PTI that the SIT filed a memo in a special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Hyderabad based on its probe so far. It had added the names of Santhosh and two persons from Kerala--Jaggu Swami and Tushar Vellapally as well as B Srinivas as accused in the case.
Three persons -- 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, against them on October 26.
As per the FIR copy, Rohith Reddy alleged that the accused offered him Rs 100 crores, and in return, the legislator had to leave the TRS and contest as a BJP candidate in the next Assembly election.
On Wednesday, Telangana High Court directed the SIT to again serve Santhosh's notice under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Earlier, the Telangana SIT had issued notices to Santhosh and the two persons from Kerala to appear before it for questioning on November 21. However, they did not turn up before the probe panel. Srinivas, who was also summoned by the SIT, had appeared before it.
It was on November 9 the Telangana government ordered an SIT of seven members on the matter of the poaching of MLAs.