Chandrababu key accused in cash-for-vote case, says Mattaiah

Accused urges CJI to include Chandrababu, Lokesh in case

NEW DELHI: In a letter to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, cash-for-vote case accused Mattaiah alleged that Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu played a central role in the 2015 bribery scandal and should be included as a prime accused along with his son and minister Nara Lokesh.

Mattaiah submitted the letter to the Registrar of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, urging that the case be transferred to either the Supreme Court or a high court outside Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for a fair trial.

Chandrababu, Revanth sent me to Stephenson, says accused

He alleged that Naidu and Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy sent him to then MLA Elvis Stephenson to persuade him to vote for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate in the MLC elections. “They asked me to offer ₹5 crore. After the case was registered, Lokesh shifted me to Vijayawada and kept me confined with the help of his associates for six months,” the letter stated.

Mattaiah said that the Anti-Corruption Bureau had collected voice recordings, forensic evidence and ₹50 lakh in cash seized during the sting operation, but the role of Naidu, Lokesh and senior police officials had been ignored.

Accused seeks disqualification of Revanth

He also urged that Revanth Reddy be removed from the chief minister’s post during the trial, alleging that he and his aides, now holding official positions, could influence investigators.

Confinement claims against Lokesh, police officials

Mattaiah further alleged that Lokesh’s associates, along with senior police officers, forcibly confined him, blindfolded him, and moved him from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, where he was held in dark rooms and forests for months. He said his signatures were taken on blank papers and on a Section 164 statement under pressure.

He expressed remorse for his role and requested to be made an approver in the case. “I regret my mistake and want to protect democracy by revealing the truth,” he wrote.