Vijayawada: The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea to transfer the ongoing cases booked by the AP Crime Investigation Department against the then leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu, now Chief Minister, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A division bench led by Justice Bela Trivedi held a hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in this regard on Monday.
The apex court expressed its displeasure, calling the petition baseless. It went on to sternly warn senior advocate Maninder Singh who argued the PIL. The court cautioned the advocate that it could impose severe penalties if he proceeded further in the case.
The Supreme Court ordered that there will be no further submissions on the matter.
An advocate B. Balayya of AP High Court had filed the PIL before the apex court claiming that Naidu and his government were systematically obstructing investigations into several criminal cases involving allegations of corruption and money laundering against leaders of the ruling parties.
The petitioner mentioned that in five cases, chargesheets had already been filed by the CID, while investigation is in progress in the remaining two cases.
The PIL raised concerns over the accused holding influential positions and alleged harassment and intimidation of complainants and witnesses in the cases against the accused.
