MLAs' poaching case: Kerala doctor moves Telangana High Court

Hyderabad, Dec 3 (IANS) A Kerala-based doctor, who is an accused in the sensational MLAs' poaching case, has approached Telangana High Court seeking a stay on the lookout notice issued by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Telangana police.

Kottilil Narayan Jaggu, alias Jaggu Swami, has filed a quash petition, challenging the notice served to him by the SIT and also the subsequent lookout notice issued for him by the probe team.

Arguing that he is no way involved in the case, the petitioner has sought a stay on the proceedings against him. The petition is likely to come up for hearing on Monday.

The SIT issued a lookout notice for Jaggu Swami on November 22, terming him a "wanted person" in the case.

A doctor with the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Ernakulam, he allegedly played a key role in the conspiracy to lure four MLAs of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to defect to the BJP by offering huge sums of bribe.

A probe team which had earlier visited Kerala, found him to be absconding from his residence and workplace. The SIT has requested all police unit officers across India to communicate the lookout notice to police stations under their jurisdictions and furnish any clues regarding the wanted person to the Hyderabad City Control Room, ACP Rajendranagar, DCP Shamshabad Zone and the Moinabad Police Station.

According to the notice, Jaggu Swami is wanted in a "case of inducement of bribe to MLAs of the TRS Party to defect and also to discharge their duties improperly and dishonesty and criminal intimidation to topple and destabilise the democratically elected State government".

Earlier, he was served a notice by the SIT directing him to appear before it for investigation on November 21.

A team, led by Nalgonda district superintendent of police Rema Rajeshwari, a member of SIT, pasted notices at the doctor's house and office after he was not found there.

However, Jaggu Swami like BJP general secretary B. L. Santosh and Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) president Tushar Vellapally did not appear before SIT.

While Santosh and Tushar already approached the Telangana High Court and secured stay on their arrest, Jaggu Swamy has now moved to the court.

The move came two days after the High Court granted bail to three accused in the case.

Ramachandra Bharati, Nand Kumar and D.P.S.K. V. Simhayaji were granted conditional bail by the court.

They were arrested by the Cyberabad police from a farmhouse at Moinabad near Hyderabad on the night of October 26 when they were allegedly trying to lure four MLAs of TRS with offers of huge money.

Cyberabad police conducted the raid on a tip-off by Pilot Rohit Reddy, one of the MLAs. He alleged that the accused offered Rs 100 crore to him and Rs 50 crore each to three others.

The SIT has added Santosh, Tushar Vellapally, Jaggu Swamy and advocate B. Srinivas as the other accused in the sensational case.

The accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 171B r/w 171E (bribery), 506 r/w 34 (criminal intimidation) section 8 of Prevention of Corruption Act.