Andhra liquor scam: Judicial custody of 11 accused extended till Aug 1

Vijayawada, July 22 The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) special court here on Tuesday extended the judicial remand of 11 accused in the Andhra Pradesh liquor scam case up to August 1.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials produced the accused before the court upon completion of their previous remand period.

The accused include Kessireddy Rajashekar Reddy, former IT Adviser to former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy; K. Dhanunjaya Reddy, Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office; Krishna Mohan Reddy, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to then Chief Minister; director of Bharati Cements Balaji Govindappa; former MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy; Rajashekar Reddy’s personal assistant Dilip Kumar, Chanikya, and Sajjala Sridhar Reddy.

Nine accused were brought from the district jail in Vijayawada, while the remaining two were brought from Guntur jail. After the court extended their custody, they were sent back to jail.

The court extended judicial custody till August 1 so that all 12 accused arrested in the case so far can be produced together on completion of their remand term.

YSR Congress Party MP P. V. Midhun Reddy was arrested in the case on July 19. The court had sent him to judicial custody till August 1. He is currently lodged in Rajahmundry Central Jail.

The alleged scam had occurred during YSR Congress party rule between 2019 and 2024.

After TDP-led NDA came to power last year, a case was registered at CID Police Station in Mangalagiri under sections 409, 420, 120 (B), r/w 34 and 37 of IPC and section 7, 7A, 8, 12, 13 (1), (b), 13 (2) of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) initially conducted an investigation following a complaint by an official of the Excise Department. Later, the government constituted SIT, headed by NTR District Commissioner of Police SV Rajashekhar Babu, to probe the case.

The SIT found large-scale irregularities and fund misappropriation in the liquor policy implemented during 2019-24. Investigators reportedly uncovered a kickback network involving nearly Rs 3,500 crore siphoned off over five years.

There are allegations that the YSR Congress Party leaders encouraged a new liquor policy, floated new brands, and received kickbacks from the distillery companies, causing huge losses to the government.

The SIT filed a preliminary chargesheet in the case on July 19. It mentions former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as one of the recipients of kickbacks. He, however, has not been named as an accused in the case.

The court has not yet taken cognisance of the chargesheet, which alleges that between 2019 and 2024, an average of Rs 50 to 60 crore was collected every month from distilleries and routed through a network of aides and shell companies.

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