Tadepalli To Bengaluru, Nampally In Between!

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is set for a packed day as he appears at the Nampally CBI Court tomorrow. This will be his first in person attendance in many years. The appearance comes after a long phase of exemptions and missed hearings.

Jagan earlier argued that travelling to court would burden the state exchequer and asked for video conference attendance. The CBI opposed this request. Fearing the court might review his six year absence and issue strict directions, he withdrew his exemption plea.

His team has shared his full schedule with the Government’s Protocol and Security Departments. Jagan will travel from Tadepalli to Vijayawada Airport, take a special flight to Begumpet Airport, and then reach the Nampally CBI Court by road.

After the court proceedings, he will head to his Lotus Pond Residence. Later, he will fly to Bengaluru on another special flight from Begumpet Airport. He is expected to spend the weekend in Bengaluru before returning to Andhra Pradesh next week.

If the court insists on weekly attendance, this could become Jagan’s routine for the foreseeable future. He has been skipping Friday appearances ever since becoming Chief Minister, even though the Nampally CBI Court hears his disproportionate assets cases every Friday.

Before 2019, Jagan attended court regularly. He would pause his Padayatra every Friday and resume it on Monday. After becoming CM, he secured an exemption citing official duties. Even now, in the Opposition, he continues to stay away from court visits.

Jagan is no longer the Opposition leader. If the CBI or another party seeks cancellation of his bail, the court may direct him to appear every week. This would force him to maintain a similar travel schedule each time.

Such weekly travel will attract heavy media attention. Many feel it will show how Jagan has shifted from a position of power to a nomadic routine after his electoral defeat.