The sensational “cash-for-vote” case of 2015 involving former Telugu Desam Party leader and current Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, which has been ongoing for nearly 11 years, has taken an interesting turn.
Even as the Supreme Court of India adjourned the hearing for two weeks, it has emerged that Revanth Reddy has requested the court to treat the case as an electoral malpractice rather than a corruption case.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice J K Maheshwari and Justice Vijay Bishnoi heard two key petitions related to the case.
One petition, filed by the Telangana Chief Minister, seeks to have the case tried under election laws instead of the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
He argued that the matter should be treated as an electoral violation rather than a criminal corruption case.
The second petition was filed by former TDP MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah, who later joined the BRS. He requested the court to remove his name from the list of accused, claiming there is insufficient evidence to support the allegations against him.
The Supreme Court has decided to club both petitions and hear them together. Sources say that if the court accepts Revanth Reddy’s plea, it could result in a significantly lighter penalty.