Former Andhra CM Jagan Issues Legal Notice to Media Outlet Over 'Misleading' Report on 'Affordable Power Agreement'
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Hyderabad, Nov 30 (NationPress) On Saturday, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, issued a legal notice to the Andhrajyothy publication demanding an unconditional apology. The notice accuses the publication of disseminating defamatory, false, and scandalous information about him regarding the legal actions initiated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) involving the Adani Group.
The notice categorically refutes these assertions as false and claims that the newspaper propagated malicious and misleading content about the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President.
According to the notice, "The insinuations and subsequent allegations allegedly sourced from judicial proceedings in the US are evidently intended to inflict severe damage on my client’s reputation, both as an individual and as the leader of the YSRCP, in addition to tarnishing my client’s tenure as chief minister from 2019 to 2024," as stated by Jagan's attorney.
The notice criticizes the publication for presenting "untruthful material with intent and prior knowledge that it would harm my client's reputation while alluding to supposed bribes allegedly paid for securing such agreements and the supposed involvement of the state government in obtaining such contracts."
This notice was prompted by reports suggesting that state officials were allegedly bribed for solar power purchases during Jagan's tenure with the YSR Congress Party.
In response to the media reports, the notice elaborates on the power purchase agreement, clarifying that it was an agreement solely between governments, without any third-party involvement.
The notice states: "The matter pertains to agreements among the parties, namely, the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the DISCOMs of Andhra Pradesh, and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), following an initiative from the Government of India that commenced with its first communication on 15/09/2021.
"It was SECI, a government entity, that made a significantly advantageous offer to the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The primary benefits to the state resulting from SECI's offer include - it proposes a framework between a Government of India undertaking and the state government, the tariff for the solar power was the most affordable rate at which Andhra Pradesh's distribution utilities had procured solar power to date, and SECI's offer also highlights the Ministry of Power, GoI's special incentive of waiving Inter-State Transmission Charges on the power purchased from SECI, translating to an impact of around Rs 2 per unit of power," the notice explains.
"Would any state government, upon receiving such a beneficial offer from a Government of India undertaking, ignore or refuse such an offer?" the notice inquires.
It elaborates that "if any state government were to overlook or reject such an offer, would it not face severe criticism and would motives not be questioned regarding such a state government?"
The notice describes how a thorough and proper process was followed prior to executing the agreement.
"Following due process, the Council of Ministers approved the proposal on 28/10/2021, the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission granted their approval on 11/11/2021, and the Ministry of Power, GoI, issued orders to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission on 30th November 2021, authorizing the waiver of ISTS charges for the projects. Only afterwards was the Power Sale Agreement executed on 01.12.2021 between the parties, namely, the Solar Energy Corporation of India, Distribution Utilities of Andhra Pradesh, and the Government of Andhra Pradesh," the notice states, adding: "Apart from these, there are no other parties involved in the Power Sale Agreement."
The offered tariff for supply at Rs 2.49 per unit was the lowest tariff for which Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) have ever been executed in Andhra Pradesh in the past 25 years for solar or wind power, according to the notice.
The notice emphasizes that "despite the prevailing circumstances, including the best interests of the state—which was the cornerstone of decision-making during my client's tenure as Chief Minister—and my client's decision-making capacity as head of Government, you persistently continue to publish articles on Andhrajyothy.com from 21/11/2024, perpetuating the narrative that the proceedings in US courts imply the receipt of bribes by my client."
The former Chief Minister has urged the media outlet to publish an unconditional apology prominently on the front page of the newspaper without delay.
