Case against former AP Speaker over "missing" Legislature

A criminal case was registered on Sunday against the controversial former Speaker of Legislative Assembly Kodela Sivaprasada Rao over "missing" property of the Legislature, police said.

A case under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of IPC was registered, on a complaint filed by Assembly section officer Easwara Rao, they said.

Kodela had admitted that the Legislature property

including some air-conditioners and furniture was with him and he had asked the Assembly officials to take it back after the new government took over.

"I wrote a letter to the Legislature Secretary on June 7 asking that the items be taken back or fix a price for him to pay in lieu. They have not responded so far," Kodela had claimed.

 

The former Speaker is now recuperating in a private hospital in Guntur after complaining of chest pain two days ago.

Kodela said, as Speaker, he was a "custodian" of the Assembly property and took the furniture and ACs to his premises for "safe custody" after they were retrieved from Hyderabad (old Assembly).

The ruling YSR Congress dubbed Kodela a 'thief' who stole the Legislature property.

"Now that he has been exposed, Kodela is saying he is ready to return the property," Sattenapalli MLA Ambati Rambabu said.

The YSRC also alleged that the TDP leader was illegally using the Legislature property in the business run by his son in Guntur.

As the controversy over the Legislature property raged, DGP Gautam Sawang transferred Assembly Chief Marshall Ganesh Babu from the post and repatriated him to his parent Octopus, the counter-terror wing of the state police.

There were allegations that Ganesh co-operated with the then Speaker in moving the property to the latter's private premises.

Against this backdrop, the criminal case was filed on Sunday, stating that the Legislature property was lost and found in a private premises.

Police sources said they have launched a detailed investigation to establish facts in the case.

"Based on the investigation, we will go ahead with the further process," a senior police official said.