New Delhi: Refusing to further defer the hearing on petitions related to the 2015 cash-for-vote case on Thursday, the Supreme Court told the TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and the Telangana state government that this would be the final chance for them to put forth their arguments in the case. The apex court posted the matter for next hearing on July 24, 2024.

As soon as the hearing on the petition began today, counsels of Naidu and the Telangana government requested the court to postpone the hearing yet again and sought more time to file the reply in the case.

A bench of Justices Sundaresh and SVN Bhatti heard the petition seeking inclusion of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu as an accused in the case.

YSRCP’s Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy had moved the top court requesting it to include the name of Naidu as an accused in the cash-for-vote case. He had based his argument on the charge sheet filed by the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) which has several mentions of the TDP leader. Earlier, the Mangalagiri MLA had stated that the ACB had allegedly failed to take the case to a logical conclusion.

Responding to the progress on the case, YSRCP legislator Ramakrishna Reddy said a purported telephonic conversation in an audio tape between former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson was aired by few local TV channels.

“Revanth Reddy was caught for allegedly offering a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to TRS (now BRS) nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson to cross-vote and help a TDP nominee Vem Narendar Reddy in the Legislative Council elections. Naidu will not be spared in the coming days,” Ramakrishna Reddy told reporters.

The cash for vote case rocked Telangana when the then TDP MLA Revanth Reddy and two others were arrested by ACB for allegedly offering a bribe to the then TRS nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson for cross-voting.

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