The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : TRS chief issued non-bailable warrant

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 05, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

TRS chief issued non-bailable warrant

By N. Rahul

HYDERABAD, AUG. 4. A non-bailable arrest warrant (NBW) was issued against the Union Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi president, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, in a cheating case by the fifth Metropolitan Magistrate at the Nampally criminal courts complex here today.

The Magistrate, M. Gandhi, ordered the Banjara Hills police, under whose jurisdiction Mr. Rao's house and office are located, to execute the arrest warrant before September 15. However, counsel for the complainant said that they were in no hurry for the execution of the order against the Union Minister, who is away in New Delhi.

The court was dealing with a case filed under Sections 409, 417 and 420 for cheating, misappropriation of funds and criminal breach of trust filed by a former Secretary of the TRS and lawyer, N. Prahlad, in May last alleging that Mr. Rao collected Rs. 10,000 each from 771 aspirants for the party ticket to contest elections from 107 Assembly constituencies in Telangana. He allegedly misappropriated the total amount of Rs. 77 lakhs without depositing in bank.

Recall petition

Immediately after the NBW was issued, lawyers for Mr. Rao filed a recall petition in the same court.

However, Mr. Gandhi reserved orders on the petition until Thursday morning. TRS leaders and lawyers sounded Mr. Rao about the developments and reportedly advised him to appear in the court on Thursday to sort out the issue.

The Magistrate earlier dismissed an application filed by Mr. Rao's counsel for dispensing with his presence in the court while issuing the NBW.

It was prayed that Mr. Rao could not attend the court as he was preoccupied with affairs of the Central Government in Delhi.

When the recall petition was taken up in the afternoon session, Mr. Rao's counsel, M. Sudhakar Reddy, and others citing a Supreme Court judgement argued that the NBW could be recalled in the absence of the accused person.

But, the Magistrate did not accept the contention.

'Surreptitious' alliance

The private complaint filed by Mr. Prahlad in the court said Mr. Rao had assured all the ticket aspirants that the TRS would go it alone in the elections and contest all the 107 seats.

But, he forged a ``surreptitious'' alliance with the Congress after collecting the money and decided to contest only 42 seats. The aspirants for the remaining seats thereby forfeited their money.

Mr. Rao refused to return the money on the ground that it was non-refundable.

Most of the ticket-seekers from within the 42 constituencies also lost the money as the party fielded rank outsiders unconnected with the movement for Telangana State.

Moves High Court

The case was posted for hearing on June 16 but Mr. Rao failed to turn up at the court following which it was adjourned to today.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rao moved the High Court to stay proceedings of the case but it was turned down.

Ticket assured?

Mr. Prahlad, a former Additional Public Prosecutor at the Ranga Reddy district courts, told reporters that he was assured of the ticket to contest from the Mahaboobabad Assembly constituency in Warangal district if he quit his job.

He spent Rs. two lakhs on party activities while nursing a hope that he would get the ticket.

Counsel for Mr. Rao, S. Satyam Reddy, said they had sought dispensing with the Minister's appearance in the Court only for today.

He would have attended the court in the normal course subsequently.

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