Summary: Harshitha Annapragada's request to drop the charges against her in a case about having more assets than she could explain was rejected by the Madras High Court on November 24, 2025. The court found enough evidence to continue with the trial.
The case started when the CBI filed a case against Harshitha's husband, Dhara Prasad, on December 31, 2020. He was an Assistant Manager at Bharat Electronics Limited in Chennai. The investigation covered the period from April 1, 2017, to February 4, 2020.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Harshitha and Dhara Prasad had assets worth ₹2,02,09,500, which was 381.80% more than their known income. The assets included properties in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
"Harshitha Annapragada helped her husband acquire properties in both her name and his name, for which they could not properly explain."
On July 10, 2025, Harshitha's request to drop the charges was turned down by the IX Additional Special Judge for CBI Cases in Chennai. She then filed another request, claiming that the charges were without basis and that her income was not properly considered.
Harshitha's lawyer argued that both she and Dhara Prasad had filed income tax returns, which were not considered. The properties were supposedly bought with loans and gifts from family members.
"Dhara Prasad reported all the transactions to the authorities, including assets, gold items, and loans taken from time to time from financial institutions and banks."
The prosecutor argued that Dhara Prasad was involved in other cases of misuse of funds and that the properties were bought with money that couldn't be explained. The court found enough evidence to continue with the trial.
Justice M. Nirmal Kumar rejected the new request on November 24, 2025, stating that the trial would be the right place to sort out the disputed facts.
"The trial Court only needs to check if there is enough initial evidence to proceed against Harshitha Annapragada."
The court's decision means that Harshitha Annapragada will face trial in the case. The trial will look into whether the assets were indeed much more than the known income of her and Dhara Prasad.
