Reddy files plea in HC, wants probe officers changed

Former minister Gali Janardhan Reddy filed two petitions before the High Court on Friday seeking directions to change the investigating officers and quash the proceedings in connection with a case registered by the DJ Halli police pertaining to Ambidant Marketing Private Limited.

Reddy faces arrest for receiving 57 kg of gold worth Rs 18 crore to help an accused in a multi-crore cheating case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The petition has sought directions to the Home department to entrust the investigation in the case, registered at DJ Halli police station and transferred to Central Crime Branch (CCB), to any other competent officers other than S Girish, DCP of CCB and Dr H S Venkatesh Prasanna, ACP of CCB.

The case has been registered under Sections 4, 5 and 6 of Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978. Reddy says he was being harassed by the officers, though he was neither an accused in the FIR nor was he remotely connected with the offences. The petition says one of the accused in the case, Ramesh, has been tortured by the police under the guise of investigation.

“The intention is to harass and defame the petitioner. The police officers have even leaked video of the mahazar to media and, in order to tarnish the image of the petitioner, have issued a press note with ulterior motive and malafide intention.

“The agency ought to have investigated the crime diligently, but have unnecessarily deviated from the main issue and are revealing the investigation details to media, issuing press notes and circulating videos,” the petition states.

The state machinery has been misused for the benefit of a few individuals and in the process, the petitioner has been falsely implicated, it adds.

In another petition, Reddy has sought for quashing of proceedings in the case, saying that he is not connected with the case and that the police officials who are investigating the matter have issued press note that they will arrest him. It says the respondent police officials are acting at the behest of political rivals.

The CCB is probing a case in which Ambidant had cheated over 15,000 people to the tune of around Rs 600 crore by promising high interest rates.