Riliance Industries Ltd stepping into the CBI case against Chandrababu Naidu is being seen as an advantage to the TDP chief. RIL had on Wednesday moved the AP High Court seeking a direction to implead it as one of the parties in the petition by Vijaya, wife of former chief minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, against TDP president and others.
Vice-president of the company PBM Rao filed the application contending that the petitioner leveled wild allegations the company and deliberately omitted to make it as one of the respondents in the plea.
Following the RIL petition, Chief Justice Lokur has recused himself from the case, citing conflict of interests as he was holding Reliance shares. As a result, the other judge on the bench Justice Sanjay Kumar will now be joined by Justice Eswraiah for further hearing in the case.
Refuting Vijaya’s allegations that Naidu extended undue favour to the RIL in bagging KG Basin Exploration contract, the RIL official said that the company had won the oil exploration block in the basin in a competitive bid as per the New Exploration and Licensing Policy, 1999.
Reliance urged the court to suspend the interim order of conducting the CBI probe and grant order to implead the company as a respondent in the plea.
Even when Vijayamma filed her petition against Chandrababu in November last, questions were raised as to why she did not name RIL as one of the respondents even though the TDP chief and RIL were accused by her as entering into a collusion with regard to KG Basin contract.
Now that RIL has sought to be made party to the case, Chandrababu might get a shot in the arm. Chandrababu’s detractors allege that he used his good offices with Reliance to bring them on the board to strengthen his case.
The new bench will hear the case on Friday.
