The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday sought the cancellation of the bail granted to Andhra Pradesh Opposition leader and YSR Congress Party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy in an illegal assets case on the grounds that he had violated bail conditions. After hearing the plea, a special CBI court in Hyderabad asked the politician to file a reply and scheduled the next hearing for April 7, IANS reported.

The agency told the Hyderabad court that the politician had knowingly defied a bail condition by publishing and telecasting an interview of a prosecution witness. The Jaganmohan Reddy-controlled Jagathi publications – through its Saakshi TV channel and newspaper – published and aired former IAS officer P Ramakanth Reddy’s interview, in which he made a comment about the quality of the investigation, The Hindu reported. CBI also accused the YSR Congress leader of trying to influence prosecution witnesses.

Stating that the court had told the politician, in September 2013, to refrain from directly or indirectly making any “inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case”, the agency asked the court to revoke the liberty. Till date, the CBI has filed 13 chargesheets in the illegal assets case against the politician, his aides, former state ministers, IAS officers, corporate entities and businessmen, IANS reported.

In June 2016, the Enforcement Directorate had said it had attached property worth nearly Rs 2,500 crore owned by the YSR Congress leader. The agency had launched an inquiry under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following a CBI chargesheet that accused Jagan of criminal conspiracy. The ED’s investigation had revealed that several investments were made in his company after his father YS Rajashekara Reddy was made chief minister in 2004.

“Jagan received bribes from various persons/companies under the guise of investments in his group of companies as a quid pro quo for undue favours granted to them by the Andhra Pradesh government,” the directorate said in a statement. It added that Jagan had also helped the company – Bharathi Cements – acquire a mining licence and receives limestone from illegally allotted land in Kadapa. His wife YS Bharathi Reddy is the chairperson of the company.