The cbi court in Nampally had dismissed the petition of andhra pradesh chief minister, YS jagan Mohan Reddy seeking exemption from personal appearance in court for every trial in the different cases filed relating to disproportionate assets. jagan had sought exemption arguing he had constitutional duties to perform, that it would take away two days of his time every week besides burdening the state exchequer with an expenditure of Rs 60 lakh every time he traveled from amaravati to hyderabad and back.
The cbi had alleged that jagan in his position of power could influence witnesses and that though six years had passed since the filing of the last charge sheet, trial proceedings were yet to begin. Not having jagan in court would only delay the proceedings further, the cbi said.
The court agreed with CBI's argument and quashed the petition much to the disappointment of the Ruling Party. jagan spent 16 months in prison and was released on bail in september 2013. On a personal level, it will be a loss of face for jagan to stand in court every other week as the chief minister of a State.
