Vijayawada: The high court on Friday declined to stay the orders passed by the special court for SC/ST cases at Kakinada, allowing the investigating officer to further probe the murder of driver V Subrahmanyam. YSRCP MLC, Ananta Satya Udaya Bhaskar, alias Ananta Babu, who is the main accused in the case, had moved the high court challenging the special court order, contending that police may conduct a reinvestigation under the guise of further investigation.Ananta Babu was booked in May 2022, and charged for the murder of his former driver, Subrahmanyam. Police filed a charge sheet naming the MLC as the only accused in the case. However, Subrahmanyam’s mother expressed doubts over police investigation as there were 33 injuries on her son’s body. After the change of govt in 2024, she gave a representation to the DGP seeking further investigation into the case. The investigating officer also filed a memo before the special court, seeking permission for further investigation, which was permitted.Arguing on behalf of Ananta Babu, senior counsel C Raghu said police filed a charge sheet in Aug 2022, and conducted further investigation and filed an additional charge sheet following the high court’s directions. “They verified all details, and there was no change of circumstances or new material for further probe. Merely on the ground that the victim’s mother expressed certain doubts, there is no need for further investigation. If this kind of request is allowed, similar petitions will be filed every time there is a govt change,” Raghu argued.Countering his arguments, advocate general Dammalapati Srinivas said the petitioner does not have a locus standi to file the petition at this stage. In fact, the investigating officer does not require permission from the special court to conduct further investigation, as per a recent judgment of the Supreme Court, Srinivas said.Considering the arguments, the high court declined to grant a stay on the orders of the special court, noting that it will provide clarity in addressing the apprehensions of reinvestigation instead of further investigation.
