AP refers cases of alleged irregularities under previous govt to CBI

The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday decided to refer to the CBI the cases of alleged irregularities committed during the previous regime while deciding on a new capital for the state. An order in this regard has been issued based on the report of a Cabinet sub-committee constituted by the Y S Jaganmohan Reddy government. "Owing to the high profile nature of the accused involved and the need to carry out investigation in the interstate and international areas, it was felt that this is a fit subject to be investigated by a national agency such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)," the government said in a statement.

The government has forwarded the report of the Cabinet sub-committee to the Department of Personnel and Training, with a request for the CBI to take up investigation, it said. "The in-principle consent of the Government of Andhra Pradesh under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 has been conveyed," it added.

Under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, the Andhra Pradesh government gives permission to the Delhi Police to exercise powers and jurisdiction in the whole of Andhra Pradesh to investigate the cases registered by CID in the state, the order added. According to the state government, the Cabinet Sub-committee in its December 2019 report had opined that public servants at the head of affairs in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government "misused and abused their official position to pre-determine the location of the new capital and subsequently purchased lands to unjustly and illegally benefit their associates, their companies and businesses, family members and/or political party members." The committee had also said that the boundaries of the capital and its infrastructure were designed and modified to suit their personal interests.

The report of the Cabinet Sub-Committee also found several irregularities and illegalities with respect to procedure followed by the erstwhile government in acquiring land, offences committed by dispossessing landless poor of assigned lands by an elaborate conspiracy, forgery, fabrication of documents and tampering of records. These transactions were penal offences under the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988, Prevention of Money laundering Act, it added.

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