Amid MLA Poaching Row, Telangana Announces Revocation of General Consent to CBI

The decision was conveyed to the HC amid calls by the BJP for a CBI probe into the alleged poaching case.

K Chandrashekar Rao.

(Photo: Facebook/K Chandrashekar Rao)

The Telangana government on Saturday, 29 October, informed the Hyderabad High Court that it had withdrawn the general consent given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the state.

The decision was conveyed to the court by the Additional Advocate General in a case related to petitions filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gujjula Premendar Reddy, who had urged the court to order a CBI probe into the allegations that some men, allegedly belonging to his party, tried to "poach" legislators of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

Reddy had said in court that the entire matter was a conspiracy by the K Chandrashekar Rao government to "defame" the BJP, NDTV reported.

During the hearing of the case, the AAG had told the court that the state government had withdrawn all general consents granted to the CBI in August itself.

Three people, who had allegedly attempted to poach four TRS legislators, were earlier arrested and remanded to judicial custody on Saturday.

This came after one of the MLAs, Pilot Rohit Reddy, tipped the police off about the alleged deal.

A First Information Report had been filed on the basis of Reddy's complaint that over Rs 200 crores were offered to four MLAs to switch sides.

(With inputs from NDTV.)