2015 Cash-For-Vote Case: Trap Laid By ACB Was Completely Illegal, Revanth Reddy Tells SC
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Reddy, contended that his client’s prosecution as an alleged bribe giver was legally unsustainable.
Published : October 15, 2025 at 6:32 PM IST
|Updated : October 15, 2025 at 8:02 PM IST
New Delhi: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that a completely illegal trap was laid by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in the 2015 cash-for-vote case, and pointed out that it was done without any FIR registration.
The matter came up for hearing before a bench led by JK Maheshwari. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Reddy, contended that his client’s prosecution as an alleged bribe giver was legally unsustainable and added that a trap was set up before an FIR was registered.
Rohatgi submitted that the trap is completely illegal because no investigation can commence before the registration of an FIR under the CrPC, and added that there was no general diary entry and no FIR.
It was argued before the bench that three persons were allegedly caught offering a bribe in the trap, and Reddy was being prosecuted under Section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which applied only to bribe takers and not bribe givers.
Rohatgi said that even if the allegations were to attract sections 7, 11, and 12 of the Act, then these provisions applied only to acts done by a public servant in the discharge of official duty.
Rohatgi said then bribe givers were not covered under those provisions, and only bribe takers were. He said that the bribe giver was brought within the purview of the law only after the 2018 amendment.
The arguments in the matter will continue on Thursday. On May 31, 2015, Congress leader Revanth Reddy, then with the Telugu Desam Party, was apprehended by the ACB while allegedly paying a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to Elvis Stephenson, a nominated MLA, for supporting TDP nominee Vem Narendar Reddy in the legislative council elections.
Apart from Revanth Reddy, the ACB had arrested some others. All of them were later granted bail. In July 2015, the ACB filed a charge sheet against Revanth Reddy and others for the alleged offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
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