Andhra Pradesh HC Halts Trial and Arrest of Former CM Chandrababu Naidu in Skill Development Scam
The Andhra Pradesh High Court has issued a stay on the court proceedings related to the custody petition of former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party leader, N Chandrababu Naidu, concerning the multi-crore Andhra Pradesh skill development program corruption case. Specifically, the Court has directed the court in Vijayawada
“to not take up the Custody petition of Chandrababu Naidu filed by the CID until Monday, Sep 18.”
Furthermore, the CID has been explicitly instructed
“to not take him in its custody till next Monday.”
Naidu approached the High Court on Tuesday, petitioning for the annulment of his judicial remand in the case and also seeking the dismissal of the entire case. The order was passed by a single bench led by Justice K Suresh Reddy.
Previously, a special court in Vijayawada identified a prima facie case against the former Chief Minister, charging him with cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, and corruption. As a result, Naidu was sentenced to 14 days of judicial custody. His subsequent request for house remand was also denied.
In his appeal to the High Court, Naidu asserted that
“a false case was foisted against him for political vendetta”
and emphasized that he
“was arrested 22 months after the registration of the case in December 2021.”
He further argued that the Andhra Pradesh CID did not adhere to the proper procedure when registering the case against him. Naidu’s defense also highlighted the absence of specific allegations against him and pointed out that
“the CID has failed to collect preliminary evidence to prove any of the allegations against him.”
Notably, Naidu’s plea also stated that
“the trial court’s order sending him to remand was passed without taking into account the fact that the CID had failed to obtain prior approval from the governor in accordance with section 17A of the PC Act.”
Naidu has additionally requested the High Court
“to cancel his remand and stay the proceedings pending before the ACB court in Vijayawada till the hearing on his petition in the High Court is concluded.”
The allegations against Naidu suggest his significant involvement in the scam during his tenure as the state’s Chief Minister. He is accused of
“diverting government funds intended for a skill development project into various shell companies through fraudulent invoices.”