Telangana-High-Court-Sakshi-Jaganthi-PublicationsThe Telangana High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a petition filed by Jagathi Publications (the parent company of Sakshi) to stop the investigation of ED cases against AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

In 2021, Jagati Publications Limited filed a petition in the High Court to order the ED not to take up the investigation of the CBI cases related to Jagan’s illegal activities. A single-member bench of Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan heard the case.

Speaking on behalf of Jagati Publications, YCP Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate S Niranjan Reddy said that the ED cases were registered on the basis of CBI cases. He said that if the allegations in the CBI cases are dropped, there will be no need to investigate the ED cases.

He said that the Supreme Court has recently given a judgment in this regard and that judgment applies to them. The Supreme Court has made it clear that if the allegations in the main cases are dropped, the PMLA cases registered based on them will not stand.

Speaking on behalf of the ED, Additional Solicitor General T. Suryakaran Reddy said that the ED cases are separate cases and have no connection with the CBI cases. He asked the court to allow finish the investigation of the ED cases first.

He reminded the court that last year the same High Court dismissed the petition filed by Vijayasai Reddy, one of the accused in Jagan’s quid pro quo cases. They went to the Supreme Court and said that it was pending there. If Jagati Publications wants, they can join the case as a party.

It has been reported that the judgment given by the High Court last year on this issue is applicable to this case and there is no need to give a separate judgment to each accused. The bench, which recorded the arguments, announced that it would reserve judgment.

These petitions, legal experts say are aimed at delaying the ED cases which gets solved easily and have rigorous punishment.