HYDERABAD, June 16:
A retired district Judge T V Chalapathi Rao and son of the suspended CBI Judge T Pattabhirama Rao were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the cash-for-bail case today, officials said.
Earlier in the day, the ACB had conducted raids on the residences of Pattabhirama Rao and Chalapathi Rao in Hyderabad, Chalapathi’s relative P Srinivas Rao at Chilakaluripet in Guntur district and a senior lawyer E Uma Maheshwar Rao here.
Chalapathi and Pattabhirama’s son Ravi Chandra were questioned by the ACB officials before they were arrested, sources said.
Some documents were found during the searches at their residence, they said adding that the duo would be produced before Principal Special Judge for ACB cases here.
The ACB had registered a case on June 9 against Pattabhirama Rao and seven others under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act in the cash-for-bail scandal.
The case was first cracked by CBI after Pattabhirama Rao, who was additional special Judge for CBI court, granted bail to former Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy but rejected the bail plea of suspended IAS officer Y Srilakshmi in connection with Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) scam.
Amid allegations of illegal gratification and corruption against Pattabhirama Rao, the Andhra Pradesh High Court suspended him on May 31 while transferring the case to ACB, which registered a case against Pattabhirama and seven others including Chalapathi Rao and Janardhan Reddy’s elder brother and Bellary city MLA Gali Somashekhar Reddy.
On a tip off that a deal was struck between Janardhan Reddy and the Judge and others, the CBI had recovered cash of nearly Rs 1.60 crore from five lockers here, the keys of which were allegedly in possession of Pattabhirama’s son Ravi Chandra.
CBI had also seized Rs 1.14 crore from the possession of T Balaji Rao, brother of Chalapathi Rao.
An ACB team also simultaneously carried out searches at Guntur over the allegation that Janardhan Reddy’s brother Somashekhara Reddy also played a role in brokering the deal for bail.
On the direction of High Court, the CBI had earlier told ACB that Somashekhar Reddy, G Dasaratha Ram Reddy, Suresh Babu, an advocate T Aditya and Chalapathi Rao and Pattabhirama Rao and others had entered into a conspiracy for showing official favour and granting bail to Janardhan Reddy and committed criminal conduct.
The CBI had handed over documents pertaining to the matter to the ACB including mobile and land phone numbers allegedly used during finalisation of the deal and duration of conversations, sources said. (PTI)
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