Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu Faces Alleged Corruption Charges
In a significant development, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, was presented in an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) courtroom in Vijayawada amidst heightened security. This appearance followed his arrest in relation to an alleged corruption case. Spearheading Naidu’s legal defense was the esteemed Supreme Court advocate Siddarth Luthra, backed by a robust team of lawyers.
The courtroom was abuzz with TDP’s senior leaders and ardent supporters, all gathered to express their unwavering support for their party president.
The events leading up to this courtroom appearance were nothing short of dramatic. At the early hours of 3:40 am, Naidu underwent a series of medical tests at the Government General Hospital in Vijayawada. This came after an exhaustive 10-hour interrogation at the Special Investigation Team (SIT) office of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Kunchanapalli.
Naidu has made serious allegations, stating that he was
“unlawfully detained by the CB CID for a staggering seven hours.”
He detailed an incident on September 8th where his bus was encircled, immobilizing him. Although his arrest reportedly took place at 11 pm, official records only marked the formal arrest at 6 am. Furthermore, Naidu was transported to the CB CID office at Mangalagiri without being presented before any court.
In his plea challenging the CID’s remand report, Naidu asserted that he had been
“falsely implicated in the case.”
He highlighted a potential violation of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which necessitates prior sanction for inquiries into public servants’ actions. Naidu’s petition emphasized that as the Chief Minister, the Governor of the State should be the sanctioning authority. He argued that his prosecution was not valid since the required sanction from the Governor of Andhra Pradesh was not obtained. Naidu further pointed out that the alleged offenses pertained to policy decisions approved by the State Cabinet, which should not be subject to criminal scrutiny.
The crux of the case revolves around the allocation of ₹360 crores to the Department of Skill Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the fiscal year 2015-16. The CID alleges that a project initially funded by technology partners was illicitly converted into a government-funded venture through a tripartite agreement, violating government orders. This led to the release of ₹371 Crores by the Andhra Pradesh government. The CID claims that out of this, at least ₹241 crores were misappropriated by officials of Siemens Industry Software (India) Private Limited and DesignTech System Private Limited.
As the case continues to evolve, it draws widespread attention, raising pressing questions about the circumstances surrounding Naidu’s detention and arrest.
