CBI to continue probe into AP minister's assets

October 8, 2021

Supreme Court on Friday directed that the Central Bureau of Investigation continue the probe into the alleged disproportionate assets case against Andhra Pradesh education minister Adimulapu Suresh and his wife Vijayalakshmi.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Chandrachud issued orders to this effect. The apex court dismissed the judgement of the Telangana high court in this regard.

The Supreme Court bench declared that the accused had no right to ask for registering a case only after a preliminary inquiry. As per the Criminal Procedure Code, there is no need for any such preliminary inquiry, the SC said.

Earlier, the state high court agreed with the contention of Suresh and his wife that the case filed by the CBI into the alleged disproportionate case without conducting any preliminary inquiry was illegal.

The high court also observed that there were mistakes in the affidavit filed by the CBI in the case and ordered that the agency should conduct a preliminary inquiry again before taking up the case.

The CBI moved the Supreme Court challenging the high court order. After prolonged hearing, the SC delivered its judgement on Friday dismissing the high court order.

The CBI registered a case of disproportionate assets against Suresh in 2016 when he was an Indian Revenue Service Officer. His wife Vijayalakshmi is still working as an IRS officer. The couple moved the high court seeking to stall the investigation into the matter.

Now that the CBI has got the clearance from the Supreme Court, it will continue the probe against the AP minister and his wife.