Cash-for-vote case: HC asks complainant to surrender by Sept

The Hyderabad High Court today issued a bailable warrant against TRS nominated MLA and complainant in the cash-for-vote case, Elvis Stephenson in a case seeking initiation of contempt proceedings and directed him to surrender before Commissioner of Police here by September 30.

Justice B Siva Sankara Rao issued the order on a suo motu contempt case initiated by himself against Stephenson for attributing "malafide" when the court was hearing a petition filed by Jerusalem Mathaiah, one of the accused in the cash-for-vote case, seeking quashing of the FIR against him.

The judge directed that Hyderabad Commissioner of Police shall release Stephenson on furnishing two sureties of Rs one lakh.
 

The HC had last year dismissed Stephenson's plea for recusal of Justice Sankara Rao from hearing the petition filed by Mathaiah.

While dismissing Stephenson's plea, Justice Rao had held that the petitioner was liable to be punished for criminal contempt of court.

In May last year, Stephenson, a nominated MLA who represents Anglo-Indian community in Telangana Assembly, had lodged a complaint with ACB alleging that he was offered Rs 5 crore by TDP MLA Revanth Reddy to vote in favour of a Telugu Desam MLC nominee in Telangana Legislative Council polls held on June one.

A case was subsequently registered and on May 31, ACB arrested Reddy along with Bishop Sebastian Harry and Rudra Udaya Simha while they were allegedly handing over an advance of Rs 50 lakh to Stephenson.

TDP MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah was also arrested in the case later.

All of them were subsequently granted bail.

Telangana ACB had last year filed a charge sheet against Revanth Reddy, Harry, Simha and Mathaiah, all booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC, in connection with the case.

The charge sheet also named Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, but not as an accused.

In his complaint, YSR Congress MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy had alleged that Naidu was the main conspirator in the case and that the latter was involved in a criminal conspiracy with Revanth and others to offer the bribe to secure the vote of Stephenson.