In a decisive move on Friday, the Supreme Court refused to revive charges against Jerusalem Mathai in connection with the 2015 Telangana cash-for-vote scandal.
A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran dismissed the State of Telangana’s Special Leave Petition from 2016, which sought to overturn the High Court’s decision that had quashed the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act. A related plea by Elvis Stephenson challenging the same High Court ruling was also rejected.
The controversy stems from allegations that bribes were offered to then-nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson during the MLC elections to sway his vote toward the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Revanth Reddy, the current Chief Minister of Telangana and a TDP member at the time, remains an accused, with his petition against the trial still pending before the Supreme Court.
Mathai, identified as Accused No. 4 among four suspects, was reportedly caught offering Rs 50 lakh in May 2015 and maintaining contact with other involved parties. However, the High Court found no specific evidence directly linking him to the crime, prompting the quashing of his case.
Telangana’s government argued that the High Court overlooked a sequence of prima facie evidence tying Mathai to the alleged bribery, as well as his absence from proceedings since the alleged incident, which limited the state’s ability to examine him.
The case, officially cited as State of Telangana v. Jerusalem Mathai and Anr SLP (CRL) 5248 of 2016, now stands with the High Court’s judgment intact.