HYDERABAD: Justice Shameem Akther of the Telangana high court on Tuesday dismissed two petitions filed by Hetero Drugs and its director M Srinivas Reddy urging the court to quash a CBI case filed against them in a quid-pro-quo case.
Making it clear that they have to put forward their case before the trial court, particularly in view of the prima-facie material provided by the probe agency with regard to criminal conspiracy and cheating, the judge paved the way for the trial court to proceed further in the matter by vacating the stay order issued in favour of the company and the director in the past.
The YSR government in 2008 had accorded top priority to the Hetero group and allotted it space at Jadcherla Pharma SEZ. Stating that the state at that time accorded such benefits to Hetero only after its director invested in Jagan Mohan Reddy’s firms, CBI had made the company and its director as accused in the case.
CBI counsel K Surender said that another company Lee Pharma too sought space at the same SEZ, but the APIIC at that time did not allot it the space. He also termed the investment made in Jagathi publications, a firm floated by Jagan in 2008, by M Srinivas Reddy, Hetero’s director, as a bribe for the benefit he availed.
The judge said that it would be premature to quash the case under CrPC 482 at this stage and asked the company and its director to present their case before the trial court.
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