Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has received relief in the long-running 2015 cash-for-vote case after an appellate tribunal set aside the Enforcement Directorate’s attachment of ₹50 lakh linked to the alleged bribery case. However, the tribunal’s order does not mean that the original criminal case has been dismissed.
The case dates back to May 2015, when the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a case over allegations of an attempt to influence nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson during the Telangana Legislative Council elections.
At the time, Revanth Reddy was a Telugu Desam Party MLA. The ACB alleged that he and others offered ₹50 lakh to Stephenson as an advance as part of an alleged ₹5 crore deal. The agency said the money was intended to influence Stephenson’s support for the TDP candidate in the MLC election.
Revanth Reddy was arrested by the ACB along with other accused persons after investigators alleged that the money was being handed over to Stephenson. The agency also collected audio and video material as part of its investigation. The case was registered under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC.
The latest tribunal proceedings were related specifically to the Enforcement Directorate’s action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED had provisionally attached an equivalent amount of ₹50 lakh in 2021, and the attachment was later confirmed by the adjudicating authority.
Revanth Reddy and three others challenged that order before the New Delhi-based Appellate Tribunal under SAFEMA. On September 14, 2026, the tribunal set aside the confirmation of the attachment. It noted that the original ₹50 lakh allegedly involved in the transaction had already been seized by the ACB and remained in the custody of the trial court.
The tribunal held that, since the alleged money was already secured in court custody, there was no apparent possibility of the accused dealing with or transferring those funds in a way that could frustrate their eventual confiscation. It therefore ruled that the ED could not attach an equivalent amount under the circumstances.
The order provides financial and legal relief to Revanth Reddy and the other appellants in relation to the ED attachment. However, it should not be described as the dismissal of the entire cash-for-vote criminal case.
As recently as August 2026, an ACB court had allowed Revanth Reddy to travel abroad subject to conditions in connection with the 2015 cash-for-vote case. This indicates that the underlying criminal proceedings remained active.
The cash-for-vote controversy has remained a significant episode in Revanth Reddy’s political career. He later left the TDP and joined the Congress before eventually becoming Telangana Chief Minister.
The latest tribunal decision therefore marks an important development in the long-running matter, but it concerns the ED’s attachment of ₹50 lakh rather than bringing the original ACB criminal proceedings to an end.