The High Court ruled on Saturday that three individuals held in Telangana, allegedly attempted to snatch MLAs from Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s party Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) can be put back into custody.
After the lower court rejected a police request for detention, the guys were freed on Thursday.
The accused, allegedly connected to the BJP, was given notices under Section 41, which permits police to detain someone without a warrant, by the court due to a lack of proof.
The suspects were taken into custody on Wednesday night from a farmhouse close to Hyderabad. The police allegedly bribed four BRS MLAs to defect to the BJP, a scheme known as “Operation Lotus” by the opposition to the party, according to the police.
Pilot Rohit Reddy, an MLA who owns the property, allegedly provided the police with information regarding the “transaction,” according to the police.
Following Mr. Reddy’s accusation that four MLAs were offered 250 crores, a First Information Report, or FIR, was filed.
Telangana police commissioner Stephen Raveendra told NDTV that the MLAs reported to the police that they were being “lured and paid to shift parties.” He said that they had been given large sums of money, contracts, and positions to switch parties,” he said.
According to the FIR filed by Rohit Reddy, if they didn’t join the BJP, “there would be criminal charges, raids by the ED (Enforcement Directorate)/CBI, and the Telangana Government led by the BRS party will be overthrown.”
A play “written, directed, and produced” by the Chief Minister, according to the BJP, refuted the claim.
Gujjula Premendar Reddy, the general secretary of the BJP in the state, petitioned the high court to transfer the matter to the CBI, alleging a plot by the BRS to discredit his party.
He also said that the police were carrying orders from the dominant party.
Senior Telangana BJP leader and Union Minister Kishen Reddy claimed there was “no rationale” for them to provide exorbitant sums for four MLAs when the ruling party has a comfortable majority.
