Telangana HC directs Centre to file counters on Interpol notice against KVP

Hyderabad: Expressing concern over the Centre's delayed response, Telangana high court on Wednesday directed the Union home and external affairs ministries to file detailed counter-affidavits on the red corner notice (RCN) issued by Interpol against former Rajya Sabha MP KVP Ramachandra Rao. Justice N Tukaramji also directed the Union govt to explain the steps taken so far and the current status of the notice and posted the matter to April 22 for further hearing. The red corner notice was issued by the Interpol in 2014 following a provisional arrest warrant issued by a US court in 2013 in connection with an alleged bribery case related to a titanium project. The case was registered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation before the US district court for the Northern District of Illinois, which alleged that $18.5 million (153.6 crore) was paid as bribes to govt officials to secure approvals for the titanium project.Rao approached the Andhra Pradesh high court in 2014 challenging the red corner notice. The court granted an interim stay in 2015, which has remained in force since then. It also directed CID not to take further action against him in connection with the notice. The ministry of home affairs, ministry of external affairs and CBI were made parties to the petition.The petition, pending for over a decade, came up for hearing in March, when CBI, India's nodal agency for Interpol, strongly opposed KVP's plea.When the matter came up before the bench of Justice N Tukaramji on Wednesday, senior counsel RN Hemendra Nath Reddy, appearing for KVP, argued that the case was politically motivated and surfaced during the 2014 general elections.Pointing out that the Union home and external affairs ministries had not yet filed counter-affidavits, Hemendra Nath argued that the power to issue, review or withdraw a red corner notice mainly lies with the Central govt in coordination with Interpol, while CBI's role comes later in execution or follow-up. He also said that more than a decade has passed without any final progress, harming KVP's reputation and personal liberty.Meanwhile, as the court allowed KVP's request to implead Telangana as a party, CBI counsel T Srujan Kumar Reddy argued that alternative remedies were available to the petitioner, including approaching Interpol's review committee in France, and questioned the maintainability of the petition.