ED’s plea for day-to-day hearings in Jagan cases should have been filed long ago: TDP MLA

Amaravati: Sarvepalli MLA and former Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy has demanded that the court conduct full-day hearings in the cases against YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to ensure their speedy disposal. He welcomed the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) petition seeking day-to-day hearings in the cases, stating that the move was long overdue.

Addressing the media here on Sunday, Somireddy said the CBI had registered cases against Jagan in 2011 over alleged disproportionate assets exceeding Rs 43,000 crore. Despite nearly 15 years having passed, the trial proceedings had not progressed to the extent expected, he alleged. It may be recalled that the ED recently approached the Telangana High Court seeking directions to the CBI special court to conduct day-to-day hearings in the cases.

Justifying the ED’s petition he argued that hearings should be conducted throughout the day, from morning to evening, given the large number of witnesses involved in the cases. He said this would help expedite the proceedings and ensure that judgments were delivered without unnecessary delay.

Citing examples involving former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, the TDP MLA argued that cases against senior political leaders had also been dealt with through judicial proceedings within comparatively

shorter periods.

He also cited Advani’s decision to resign from his Lok Sabha membership in connection with a case against him and his subsequent acquittal, arguing that political leaders should demonstrate respect for the judicial process. Somireddy alleged that discharge petitions and repeated adjournments were delaying the proceedings against Jagan.

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