Odishatv Bureau
New Delhi: YSR Congress Party leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy today withdrew his bail plea from the Supreme Court in which he had challenged the Andhra Pradesh High Court order rejecting his plea in the disproportionate assets case against him.

Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani sought withdrawal of the application moved by Jagan on the ground that he intended to file a modified application for the same. On July 10, Jagan had moved the apex court seeking bail on the ground that CBI did not have a shred of evidence against him in the illegal assets case. He had argued that merely being wealthy or in public life does not deprive him of his right to get bail.

In the Special Leave Petition filed through counsel Senthil Jagadeesan, the rebel Congress leader had submitted there was "complete and utter misapplication of the principles governing bail jurisprudence by the high court, leading to deprivation of his right to liberty granted by the Constitution.

"This complete and utter misapplication of the principles governing bail jurisprudence by the high court has led to continuing deprivation of the rights of the petitioner under Article 21 of the Constitution. "CBI has wholly failed to show a shred of proof to suggest that the petitioner would tamper with evidence or influence witnesses", the petition said.

In fact, the High Court had also ignored the basic fact that for over nine long months and three chargesheets after the registration of the FIR, the petitioner has enjoyed his freedom without any complaint of influencing the more than 150 witnesses listed, the petition said. On July 4, the High Court had rejected Jagan`s bail plea on the ground that he had the propensity to influence witnesses.

Jagan has contended the High Court virtually proceeded to pronounce him guilty by observing that "this court is of the opinion that individual right of the petitioner for bail cannot have precedence over the larger interests of the society which is stated to have sustained wrongful loss by way of deprivation of public money of larger magnitude for development and welfare of the people of the state." In his SLP before the apex court, Jagan, son of late Chief Minister Y S Rajashekar Reddy, contended the High Court had denied him the bail merely because of his political position.

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