CBI filed cases against IAS officials in hurry: Lawyers

Advocates, who have been fighting the cases on behalf of the IAS officers, have alleged that the CBI has not examined the real culpability of the officer and his involvement in the alleged offence, and did not scrutinise the records and procedure followed by the officers in forwarding the files related to allotments to the CMO.

They said that the CBI, which has registered the FIR on August 17, 2011, following a direction from the High Court, did not name any of the officers and it arrayed unknown public servants of the state government as accused.

According to T. Praduymna Kumar Reddy, the counsel for B.P. Acharya, “Even before naming the officers as accused in the case, the charge against his client was that he entered into a criminal conspiracy with Hetero Pharma, Aurbindo Pharma and Trident Life Sciences, by alienating land to them in his capacity of vice-chairman and managing director of AP Industrial Development Corporation, for `7 lakh per acre in Jadcherla SEZ at Mahabubnagar, though the committee had recommended `15 lakh per acre.”

He said the CBI did not bother to verify the rules that govern SEZs, and which allow for the lease of land that is not for sale. It is surprising that the CBI forgot this crucial fact while charging the petitioner. discrepancy seems to be in the amount not the lease.

T Niranjan Reddy, senior counsel for Adityanath Das, said that the CBI has ignored the crucial fact that there was permission from the Interstate Water Regulating Council for allotment of waters to India Cements and by doing so Mr Das was not contravening any law.

He said that the action of the CBI court in taking cognizance of the charge sheet filed by the CBI against his client without sanction from the government was against the law.

Sivaraju Srinivas, counsel for Mr B Sam Bob, said that as per Section 197 of the CrPC, sanction from the state government is required to prosecute a government servant and a sanction from the Union government is required to prosecute an All India Service Officer for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The lawyer said both the governments have refused sanction to CBI for the prosecution of officials.