BENGALURU: BJP leader and former mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy, who is facing arrest for allegedly receiving 57 kg of gold worth Rs 18 crore to help an accused in a multi-crore cheating case investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), filed two separate petitions before the High Court on Friday.
In the first, he sought directions to change the investigating officers and in another, he prayed for quashing of proceedings against him in the cheating case involving Ambidant Marketing.
Mr Reddy asked the court to entrust the investigation of the case (no.137/2018) registered by the DJ Halli police and transferred to the Central Crime Branch (CCB), to any other competent officers other than CCB DCP S. Girish and CCB ACP Dr H.S. Venkatesh Prasanna.
The case has been registered under Sections 4, 5 and 6 of Prize Chits & Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978. Mr Reddy said that he is being harassed by the officers, despite not being arraigned as accused in the FIR and not remotely connected to the alleged offences.
He stated that one of the accused, Mr. Ramesh, was tortured by the police under the guise of investigation.
“The intention is to harass and defame the petitioner. Under the guise of investigation, innocent persons are being targeted. The police officers have even leaked video of the mahazar to the media. In order to tarnish the image of the petitioner, police have issued a press note with ulterior motive and malafide intention. The agency ought to have investigated the crime diligently but have unnecessarily deviated from the main issue and are revealing the investigation details to media, issuing press notes and circulating videos,” the petition states.
The state machinery has been misused for the benefit of a few individuals and in the process the petitioner has been falsely implicated, it adds. In another petition, Mr Reddy has sought for quashing of proceedings in the case registered by the DJ Halli police, citing that he is not connected with the case and that the police officials who are investigating the matter have issued press note that they will arrest him with an ulterior motive to defame him and tarnish his image in public.
It also states that the respondent police officials are acting at the behest of political rivals. The CCB is probing a case in which Ambidant has allegedly cheated over 15,000 people to the tune of around Rs 600 crore by promising high returns.
