The Andhra Pradesh High Court has rejected the plea of former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party leader, N Chandrababu Naidu, to quash the FIR related to the multi-crore Skill Development Scam. This decision comes amidst allegations that Naidu conspired with others to misappropriate funds from the public exchequer.
Senior Advocate Harish Salve, representing Naidu, highlighted that the FIR was registered on December 19, 2021, but Naidu was only named as an accused on September 7, 2023. Salve argued that the case against Naidu was a result of a ‘regime revenge investigation’. He further contended that even if all accusations were accepted, there was no prima facie case against Naidu.
On the contrary, Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Ranjit Kumar, representing the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), argued that the investigation was in its early stages and could not be quashed. Rohatgi emphasized that Naidu, as the head of the executive government, was involved in a deliberate scam that misappropriated ₹370 crores of public money.
Justice K. Sreenivas Reddy, in his observation, stated that the use of public funds
“under the colour of authority but really for his own benefit”
could not be seen as an act done in the discharge of Naidu’s official functions. The court further noted that the decision or recommendation made by Naidu to sanction payment based on certain documents and the subsequent misappropriation of funds cannot be considered acts done in the discharge of his official duties. Hence, no prior approval from a competent authority was necessary for the investigation into the alleged offences.
The court also highlighted the gravity of the allegations, pointing out that for a project that could have been executed for only Rs. 110-130 crores, a false projection was made, valuing it at Rs. 3,300 crores. A work order of Rs. 371 crores was issued on a nomination basis, out of which at least Rs. 241 crores was misappropriated.
In conclusion, the court emphasized the importance of thorough investigation, especially in cases of such economic significance. The court stated,
“The investigating agency, pursuant to the registration of the crime in 2021, examined more than 140 witnesses and collected over 4000 documents. Profligacy is such an esoteric subject, where investigation has to be carried with utmost proficiency by the professionals.”
Given the ongoing investigation’s critical stage, the court decided not to interfere with the proceedings and dismissed Naidu’s plea as lacking merit.
