DA case: CBI grills Jagan for fourth consecutive day

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday quizzed YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy in an alleged disproportionate assets case for the fourth day and questioned Congress Member of Legislative Assembly Dwarampudi Chandrasekhara Reddy in the same case for the second day.

The agency, which took Jagan into custody from the Chanchalguda Jail here, grilled him about the flow of investments into Jagati Publications, Indira Television and Janani Infrastructure Pvt Ltd -- promoted and owned by Jagan and also about the land and buildings in the name of these three firms, agency sources said.

The CBI also quizzed Kakinada (urban) MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhara Reddy and Jagan's financial advisor V Vijay Sai Reddy (another accused in the DA case and now out on bail) for the second day in a row today.

Chandrasekhara Reddy, who is said to have been a director in Janani Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, was learnt to have been questioned by the CBI over his alleged role in buying plots in the name of Janani and also on creation of buildings for Sakshi printing units in different parts of Andhra Pradesh.

The CBI questioned the MLA until afternoon.  Chandrasekhara Reddy had expressed solidarity with YSR Congress and its honorary president Y S Vijayalaxmi, who is currently campaigning for the June 12 bye-elections.

Jagan, who was arrested by the agency on May 27 in the disproportionate assets case, is in judicial remand till June 11 and lodged at Chanchalguda jail. The AP high court had last week given Jagan's custody to CBI for five days till June 7.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah will appear before the CBI on Thursday after being summoned in connection with the DA case.

The CBI, which has so far filed three chargesheets in the case, has accused Jagan of getting investments of several crore rupees from firms into his own businesses as part of quid pro quo, when his father late Y S Rajsekhara Reddy was the chief minister.

The agency is likely to examine Ponnala over Government Orders issued during 2004-09 by the irrigation department, when he was the Major irrigation minister in the cabinet of late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, on supply of water from river Krishna and Kagina to some cement companies, which in turn allegedly made investments in Jagan's businesses.    

Ponnala is among the six Andhra Pradesh ministers, who were issued notices by the Supreme Court in March, seeking their stand on the charge about their alleged role in the case against Jagan.

In another development, Vijay Sai Reddy filed a petition before a special CBI court requesting it to allow him to visit Shirdi and Tirumala for seven days from June 9. The court posted the matter for Thursday after seeking CBI's counter.