Paillas Shekhar Reddy, a member of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and MLA from Bhongir constituency, claims that the recent three-day Income Tax department raids on his homes and offices were aimed at ruining his reputation. However, Reddy stated that he fully cooperated with the officials during the searches. He also denied reports that his relatives’ premises were searched and that important documents were seized. Additionally, Reddy denied having a mining business in South Africa.
Reddy made these statements to the media at his camp office in Bhongir after arriving there for the first time since the searches. During his visit, BRS workers welcomed him with a large rally. The IT officials conducted searches at about 60 locations connected to the MLAs’ businesses and family members, including the office of JC Brothers, a retail textile chain owned by Marri Janardhan Reddy, an MLA from Nagarkurnool Assembly constituency. The IT officials were investigating suspected tax evasion in retail showrooms and infra projects of JC Brothers.
Similarly, searches continued at the premises of Vaishnavi Group allegedly linked to Shekhar Reddy. Previously, he was associated with Theertha Projects and Sri Lorven Syndicate Private Limited, both of which are involved in real estate, software, mining, drilling, and have a presence in Hyderabad, Karnataka, and a few African countries.
Janardhan Reddy questioned whether it is unconstitutional for MLAs to have businesses and stated that they promptly pay income tax on their businesses, having paid Rs 200 crore so far.
