AP liquor scam: SC declines to intervene in HC order cancelling default bail to accused

Vijayawada: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to intervene in the high court order cancelling the default bail for three accused in the alleged liquor scam case and asked them to approach the trial court for regular bail. However, the top court extended the interim protection from surrender that it granted earlier to K Dhanunjaya Reddy, P Krishna Mohan Reddy, and Balaji Govindappa.The special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the state govt to probe alleged irregularities in liquor trade during the YSRCP regime arrested Krishna Mohan, who worked as OSD to then chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy; Dhanunjaya Reddy, a retired IAS officer who worked as a secretary in the CMO; and Govindappa, a director of Bharathi Cements, for their alleged involvement in policy drafting and money routing. The SIT estimated that irregularities to the tune of Rs 3,500 crore took place over a period of five years from 2019 to 2024.The accused were granted default bail on the ground that the SIT failed to file a chargesheet within the stipulated time. The SIT contested this, and the high court cancelled the default bail. Challenging the order, the accused moved the Supreme Court, which, during an earlier hearing, issued notices to the state govt and granted interim protection from surrender, as directed by the high court.Arguing for the petitioners, senior counsels Siddharth Dave, Mukul Rohatgi, and C A Sundaram sought to convert the default bail to regular bail. Arguing on behalf of the prosecution, senior counsel Siddharth Luthra opposed it, stating that the high court decided the matter on merits. Considering the arguments on both sides, the apex court bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M Pancholi declined to intervene in the high court's order, and asked the petitioners to approach the trial court for regular bail, while extended the interim protection granted earlier.