Under fire from the Opposition, the Andhra Pradesh government has announced that special courts to speed up the prosecution in the call money racket.
According to TOI, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu made the announcement on Friday, after the Opposition disrupted the Assembly for the second consecutive day of the ongoing session.
More than 50 members of the YSR Congress, including Jaganmohan Reddy, were suspended in the morning for protests and demanding a debate on the call money racket in which members of the ruling party are allegedly involved.
The TDP, however, strongly denied allegations made by YSR Congress leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy in the House.
As the House took up debate on the racket in the afternoon the CM made a statement on the issue.
He said that the government had taken serious note of the racket, and that the police conducted raids on private money lenders across the state.
Police have lodged 227 cases against money lenders, who were reportedly collecting exorbitant rate of interest. Of these, five cases involved sexual harassment of borrowers along with charging of high interest rate, reported TOI.
"So far 188 accused have been arrested which include the sympathisers from YSRCP ,TDP, Congress, CPI, BJP, Lok Satta, CPM, and others 78," he said.
He added that a judicial inquiry has already been ordered into the racket and that no one would be spared.