Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy forms SIT to probe transactions during Chandrababu Naidu's rule

In a move that could spell more trouble for former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his partymen, the Jagan Mohan Reddy government has on Friday formed a special investigation team to probe irregularities especially land related that allegedly took place during Naidu’s rule from 2014 to 2019.

Reddy had revealed his intentions to initiate such a probe during the assembly session in January when he brought in the three capitals bills stripping the Naidu-planned Amaravati from its sole mega capital status.

Reddy has been alleging large scale wrongdoing on part of Naidu’s government in selection of Amaravati as the capital location, to benefit his benamis and associates in the government and Telugu Desam Party, “who by way of insider trading accumulated huge land tracts there.”

In less than a month after he became the CM, Reddy had constituted a cabinet sub-committee in June last year to probe these charges.

Headed by the finance minister Buggana Rajendranath the committee reviewed all major policies, projects, programmes, institutions established (Corporations, Societies, Companies), and key administrative actions since bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh State in June 2014 that showed impact on State’s development.

The committee’s December report has “highlighted the various procedural, legal and financial irregularities and fraudulent transactions concerned with various projects, including the issues related to land in the CRDA region,” a Government Order issued on Friday said.

CRDA refers to the AP Capital Region Development Authority, that Naidu had instituted to administer Amaravati works.

“The Government decided to get the issue enquired by a specialized agency,” the GO allowing formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) said. Kolli Raghuram Reddy, IPS, DIG, Intelligence will be heading the 10-member team of police officers of which two are SP rank IPS officers.

The SIT would have powers to call for any person/officer in connection with the enquiry and investigation, to record his/her statement as per the provisions of CrPC.

It would function “as a nodal single point contact, including for sharing of information and coordinating if necessary, with the State and Central Investigating Agencies.”

The YSRCP government had earlier indicated a CBI or Lokayukta probe.