Ex-Andhra Speaker Kodela's son surrenders in Guntur court, granted bail

Former Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kodela Siva Prasad Rao's son Sivarama Krishna on Tuesday surrendered before a court in connection with various cases booked against them.

He surrendered before First Additional Munsif Magistrate Court in Narsaraopet in Guntur district. The court subsequently granted him anticipatory bail.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on August 31 had directed both Kodela and his son to surrender in cases registered by the police against them on complaints by some people, who alleged that the duo exploited and harassed them during the last few years. The High Court had passed the orders while refusing to grant them anticipatory bail.

Kodela, a senior leader of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), had killed himself at his house in Hyderabad on September 16.

The TDP alleged that Kodela resorted to the extreme step due to harassment by the YSRCP government, which booked cases against him and his family members. The ruling party, however, denied the allegations.

After the TDP lost power in May and Kodela was



himself defeated in the Narsaraopet constituency, several cases were booked against him and his family members as some people approached police alleging that they exploited them through extortion during the last few years.

Police had also booked Kodela and his son on August 25 for allegedly diverting Assembly furniture to unauthorized premises.

The case was booked under Sections 409 (cheating) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the IPC.

Kodela had allegedly diverted the furniture belonging to the government from the Assembly premises to unauthorized places and to a private show room belonging to Sivaram Krishna.

Kodela had admitted that while shifting the Assembly furniture and equipment to Amaravati from Hyderabad in 2016, some of it was taken to his office-cum-residence in Sattenapalli. He said this was done as the furniture could have got spoilt in the temporary Assembly building.

He had also claimed that he wrote to the legislature secretary asking him to take the furniture. He had also offered to pay for the furniture.