Even as the former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has welcomed the HC orders for a probe into his alleged illegal wealth, his party has almost decided to go for an appeal in the SC challenging the order on the pretext that it has violated natural principle of justice.
Most of the party leaders said that the HC had ordered the probe without serving notices to Naidu and others. They point out that before the HC had ordered CBI probe against the alleged illegal properties of the YSR Congress chief Mr YS Jaganmohan reddy, his lawyers were asked to present their point of view in the court and nearly the case was dragged on for a month.
“Such an opportunity was not given to our leader,” they said. The party leaders are of the view the Supreme Court judgment in the UP leader Mulayam Singh’s case that no investigation should be ordered against anyone without hearing the defendant would be useful to challenge the HC order.
Some leaders claim that the judgment given by the state high court on July 8, 2004 on a petition filed by the congress leader Mr Kanna Lakshminarayana against Chandrababu would also be more useful in challenging the HC order. The HC had dismissed the petition of Kanna Lakshminarayana and said there was no substance in the petition filed against Chandrababu.
The TDP leaders said that the YSR Government had conducted 26 inquiries against Chandrababu but could not find anything against him and described the petition of Vijayamma as politically motivated.
The TDP leaders are not in a position to decide on appealing the case. They are unable to come to a conclusion whether Chandrababu should go for appeal or his allies and friends should file petitions in the higher courts.
Chandrababu has also discussed the issue with his party colleagues through a teleconference but the party has not yet taken a firm decision on who should go for appeal.
Opportunity for Naidu to prove his innocence
Congress leader Mr Chiranjeevi described the HC order against Chandrababu Naidu as a great opportunity for him to prove his innocence. “He should boldly face the probe,” Chiru told journalists in Tirupati on Monday, adding, that he should not go for an appeal.
