The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday dismissed a plea by the state government that sought directions to cancel the ongoing probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the knife attack on YSRCP chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy at Visakhapatnam airport.
Asking the NIA to furnish all documents related to the investigation, the court also ordered the Centre to file a counter by January 30 and struck down the Andhra government's plea. This comes as a major blow to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the state, which has been protesting against the Centre's decision to transfer the case to the NIA, from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police.
Just last week, the NIA filed a petition in a special court in Vijayawada, alleging non-cooperation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Andhra Pradesh police which had first looked into the case. The NIA asked the court to direct the police to share all the records and documents that the national agency had asked for.
Earlier this month, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing his displeasure over the Centre's move.
“I am constrained to express my concern at the manner in which Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India issued orders directing the investigation by NIA in connection with the attack of Jaganmohan…It is with regret and anguish I am to say that the Union Government is bringing down the sanctity and autonomy of every institution with particular reference to the manner in which the Home Ministry entrusted the investigation to the NIA without dealing with the objections furnished by the state government in this regard,” Naidu said in his letter.
Jagan was injured when Srinivas, a worker at the airport canteen, attacked him with a cockfight knife as the YSRCP chief was waiting to board a flight to Hyderabad. The Centre took the decision to hand over the case to NIA on December 31. The investigating agency on January 1 registered a case. The First Information Report (FIR) was registered on a complaint by an officer of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Jagan, who sustained a bleeding cut on his left upper arm, continued his journey and got admitted at a hospital in Hyderabad.