A special CBI court in Hyderabad has sent YSR Congress chief and Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy to 14 days' judicial custody till June 11 in connection with the illegal assets case against him, while refusing the investigative agency's plea to take him into their custody for interrogation.
The CBI officials who probed Jagan for about 22 hours for three days from May 25, sought 14 days of his custody, arguing that his clarifications on their questions were not satisfactory. The agency wanted to grill him over his alleged hawala connections and on documents gathered during the investigating process.
Jagan's counsels alleged that the CBI has arrested him in order to prevent him from campaigning for the upcoming by-elections, which is scheduled to be held for June 12.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh police department has beefed up security measures across the state as a move to prevent a possible breakdown of law by Jagan's loyalists over his arrest. Police officials have enforced section 144, restricting five or more people gathering on streets.
Earlier, the federal department grilled Jagan for three days in a row before taking him into their custody on Sunday (May 26) evening.
Besides Jagan, industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad and senior official KV Brahamandna Reddy, Excise Minister Mopidevi Venkataramana have been arrested in connection with the disproportionate assets case filed by the CBI.
Jagan has been booked under the sections 120 B (Criminal Conspiracy) read with 420, 468 (Forgery), 409 (Criminal Breach Of Trust), 477/A (Falsification of Accounts), Prevention of Corruption Act (1980) 13/1 and 13/2.
Jagan has claimed that he is being targeted by the ruling Congress, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the CBI in the wake of by-elections scheduled to take place in the state next month. He added that some political parties are trying to put an end to his political career.
