Thaindian News

Hyderabad, May 30 (IANS) A special court here Wednesday sent former Andhra Pradesh minister Mopidevi Venkataramna to prison in YSR Congress leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy’s corruption case.

Venkataramna was produced in the CBI court after his five-day CBI custody ended Tuesday. He was shifted to the Chanchalguda Central Jail, where Jaganmohan Reddy and two other accused are lodged.

The court accepted his plea to treat him as a special category prisoner. Venkataramna also moved a bail petition, the hearing on which was adjourned to Thursday.

The accused sought bail on the health grounds. The court directed the CBI to file a counter and adjourned the hearing.

The investigating agency had arrested Excise Minister Venkataramna May 24. The same day he was remanded to judicial custody till June 7.

The court also gave him to CBI custody for five days. The agency has since been questioning him at Dilkusha Guest House, the camp office of the agency.

He became the first minister in the state’s history to be arrested on charges of corruption while in office. Venkatarmna later resigned as the minister.

Jaganmohan Reddy was arrested by the CBI May 30. The next day he was sent to jail till June 11.

Venkataramna was minister for infrastructure and investment in the Rajasekhara Reddy government when certain companies were allegedly given undue favours in return for investments they made in businesses of Jagan Mohan, the chief minister’s son.

The CBI has booked the minister for corruption, cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust by public servant, and falsification of accounts.

He has been arrested for issuing certain government orders for allotment of lands and other concessions to the Vanpic project in 2008.

Venkataramna reportedly violated norms and also did not take the opinion of the finance and law departments while issuing government orders allotting huge land in Guntur and Prakasam districts to Vanpic and granting it exemptions under Stamps and Registration Act.