Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh agriculture minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy, who was facing allegations regarding his involvement in a theft case at a Nellore court complex, has claimed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has given him a clean chit in the matter.
Interacting with the media on Sunday, he said that the 403-page chargesheet filed by the CBI after a year-long probe has proved he had no role to play in the incident. The case dates back to April 14, 2022, when court staff lodged a complaint with Chinna Bazar police over the theft of crucial documents from the IV additional judicial magistrate court. The police registered a case and began investigating.
Later, as per the Andhra Pradesh High Court's directions, the CBI took over the probe into the missing files case. After questioning 88 witnesses over the past year, the agency has now filed a chargesheet confirming his non-involvement, he claimed.
Dismissing allegations made by Telugu Desam leader Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy against him, Kakani said the probe has proved those charges baseless. "The CBI findings, as per High Court orders, have rubbished two years of false accusations, causing setbacks for Chandrababu Naidu, Lokesh, and Somireddy,” he added.
"I maintained from day one that I had no role. The comprehensive CBI probe validating this has come as vindication. Despite allegations and media trials by Somireddy, we consistently clarified my non-connection. The HC took suo moto cognisance, issuing notices to all parties on the feasibility of the CBI probe. The year-long investigation into 88 witnesses, files, reports, and Somireddy's claims has concluded I played no part," Kakani noted.
He said the CBI findings exposed the hollowness of accusations, proving the police probe was efficient and transparent. Minister Reddy stressed the need for facts over smear campaigns while dismissing CPI leader Ramakrishna’s claims against him. Reacting to TD president Naidu's allegations, he threw an open challenge, expressing willingness to face investigation into any complaint. The YSRC minister dared Naidu to respond within 24 hours.
