SIT Serves a Fresh Notice to KCR Asking to Be Available on Sunday for Questioning
Accordingly, the notice was served at the former chief minister's Hyderabad residence on Thursday to which Rao had replied.
Hyderabad:The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday served a fresh notice to former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao asking him to be available “without fail” for questioning at his Nandinagar residence in Jubilee Hills on Sunday at 3 pm in the phone-tapping scandal.
A team of SIT officials visited the former chief minister's Nandinagar residence and pasted a notice on the wall adjacent to the main door regarding the questioning.
Rao’s response was awaited at the time of going to print.
The exercise followed the notice issued on Thursday asking Rao to be available for questioning on Friday, and the former chief minister seeking a fresh date as he was pre-occupied with providing ‘B Forms’ to party candidates for the municipal elections, and asking for the questioning to be conducted at his farmhouse in Erravalli. The last date of nominations ended earlier in the day on Friday.
The SIT, clearly turning down Rao’s request for questioning at his farmhouse, explained in its notice that the questioning would be carried out at the address that he had given his election affidavit and submitted the Legislative Assembly, which was the one at Nandinagar.
In the notice, the SIT said that as per the mandate of Section 160 CrPC, persons acquainted with the facts of the case may be required to attend (questioning) within the jurisdiction of the police station concerned or the one adjoining it.
Accordingly, the notice was served at the former chief minister's Hyderabad residence on Thursday to which Rao had replied.
The SIT said that considering Rao's age and in view of the provision of Section 160 CrPC, it had offered to undertake the investigation at his residential address that he provided in the records. However, the former chief minister, in response to its Thursday notice, had requested an investigation to be conducted as Erravalli, Markook mandal of Siddipet district.
The SIT in its Friday’s notice reiterated that “the investigating agency, to balance the interest of investigation and having due consideration to your age and in line with the statutory provision, had voluntarily notified that your place of residence investigation will be your residence as per the officials records available with us.”
“The request for examination at a place which is not your residence as per official records cannot be acceded to, as the venue of examination is determined with reference to the ordinary place of residence reflected in official records.”
The SIT notice issued on Friday said: "As the examination involves references to many electronic and physical records which are sensitive in nature, it would be administratively difficult to transport the same to Erravalli village, Markook mandal of Siddipet district.” The police therefore requested Rao to make himself available at his residence in Hyderabad for examination at 3 pm on Sunday, February 1, “without fail".