Rebel YSRC MP taken to Army Hospital in Telangana for medical examination following SC order

Jailed rebel YSR Congress MP K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, arrested in a sedition case, was taken to Secunderabad in neighbouring Telangana for medical tests at the Army Hospital,hours after the Supreme Court on Monday ordered his forthwith transfer there.

The MP, who was lodged in the district jail in Guntur despite the orders of the High Court to shift him to a private hospital, was taken by road to Secunderabad on the orders of the apex Court, officials said.

The Supreme Court directed the state Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das to personally monitor the transit of Raju.

On receiving the apex court orders in the evening, the Chief Secretary took up the issue with officials of the Telangana government to ensure a hassle-free movement as a Covid-19 lockdown is currently in force in the neighbouring state.

Raju, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Narsapuram parliamentary constituency in Andhra Pradesh, alleged that the sedition case has been lodged against him ''because of political vendetta'' as he has been criticising ''the action of his own party''.

The Supreme Court was hearing two appeals, including one by the rebel YSR Congress MP against the Andhra Pradesh High Court order dismissing his bail and asking him to go to appropriate forum for the relief. In the second appeal, his son K Bharath has sought Raju's medical examination by a private hospital.

A vacation bench, comprising Justices Vineet Saran and B R Gavai, ordered the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh to ensure his transfer to Secunderabad Army hospital during the day itself under Y-category security cover where he would be examined by a team of three doctors to be appointed by the head of the hospital.

It directed that his medical examination be supervised by a judicial officer appointed by the Telangana High Court.

The court posted the case for the next hearing on May 21.

Raju, who rebelled against the YSRC leadership in June last year, had been arrested on various charges, including sedition, by the Crime Investigation Department of AP Police on May 14 at his residence in Hyderabad.

The CID also named two media houses and 'others' as accused in the case.

They were charged under Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 505 (statements conducing public mischief) read with 120B (conspiracy) of IPC.

Raju alleged that he was beaten up by the CID sleuths during the course of interrogation on Friday night and Saturday.

He submitted a four-page letter to the designated CID court magistrate in Guntur.

The AP High Court constituted a medical board, headed by the Guntur Government General Hospital superintendent, to conduct a medical examination on Raju.

The medical board, in its report on Sunday, submitted that the MP had no external injuries (caused by police beating) and he was in good health.

The board said he only suffered from edema because of which his legs and feet appeared swollen and discoloured.PTI DBV BN BALA BN BALA

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)