Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and three others have received relief from the PMLA Appellate Tribunal in connection with the 2015 cash-for-vote case. The tribunal has set aside the Enforcement Directorate’s attachment of Rs 50 lakh linked to the case.
The order was passed on September 14, 2026, by a tribunal headed by Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari. The appeals were filed by Revanth Reddy, Vem Krishna Keerthan, Rudra Sivakumar Uday Simha and Bishop Harry Sebastian.
The dispute relates to an ED attachment order that had been confirmed by the PMLA Adjudicating Authority in 2022. The tribunal noted that the Rs 50 lakh allegedly involved in the transaction had already been seized by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and was in the custody of the trial court. Therefore, the tribunal held that there was no immediate risk of the money being moved or disposed of in a way that could prevent its eventual confiscation.
On this basis, it concluded that the ED could not attach an equivalent amount under Section 5(1)(b) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and cancelled the Rs 50 lakh attachment.
What Is the Cash-for-Vote Case?
The case dates back to May 2015, when the Telangana ACB registered a case over allegations that Rs 5 crore was offered to nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson in connection with the Telangana Legislative Council elections. According to the allegations, Rs 50 lakh was offered as an advance. Revanth Reddy, who was then a TDP MLA, was arrested along with other accused after the ACB recovered the cash. The ED later initiated proceedings under the PMLA based on the ACB case.
However, the latest tribunal order deals specifically with the Rs 50 lakh attachment proceedings. It does not decide the underlying criminal case or amount to an acquittal of Revanth Reddy or the other accused.
