Hyderabad: In a setback to former Chief Minister and ex-Governor K. Rosaiah, the Supreme Court on Wednesday admitted the appeal against an order of the Hyderabad High Court which had quashed a case pending against Mr Rosiaiah with the Anti-Corruption Bureau. A three-member SC bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi admitted the appeal of Hyderabad-based advocate K. Mohanlal challenging the order of the High Court in a case of allotment of land in Ameerpet in 2010.
The top court rarely gives special leave to hear such appeals. While admitting the appeal, the apex court said it needed a detailed hearing and that it would dispose of the case in six months.
In 2010, Mr Mohanlal had moved a complaint seeking a probe into alleged irregularities in denotifying the Ameerpet land.
Ameerpet land was worth Rs 200 crore
In 2010, Mr Mohanlal had moved a complaint before the principal special judge for ACB cases at Hyderabad, seeking a probe into alleged irregularities in denotifying 9.14 acres of land in Ameerpet, which was worth '200 crore at that time. The land had been acquired. The order said the land had to be returned to the original owners.
The complainant, Mr Mohanlal, had said that the government had acquired the land and paid compensation to the owners and the land was now in the possession of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority. Following the decision of Mr Rosaiah to denotify the land, the government issued an order on July 15, 2010, withdrawing the land from the acquisition process.
While taking cognizance against Mr Rosaiah, the special court had discharged all the other 14 accused in the case. Mr Rosaiah then moved the High Court to quash the case, while Mr Mohanlal moved a revision petition challenging the discharge of the other accused.
A single judge of the High Court in October 2015 allowed the plea of Mr Rosaiah. He held that mere denotifying of land and returning it to the original owners will not attract Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
