Supreme Court Sets October 3 Hearing for Chandrababu Naidu’s Skill Development Scam Plea: A Deep Dive into the Controversy
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on October 3 regarding the plea of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu, who seeks to quash the FIR filed against him in the skill development scam case. This development follows the recusal of Justice SVN Bhatti from the case, prompting Naidu’s lawyers to mention the matter urgently before Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud.
Naidu’s legal representative, Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, emphasized that Naidu was
“picked up illegally”
on September 8 and has since been detained. He highlighted the pressing demand by the probe agency for a 15-day police custody. Responding to this, CJI Chandrachud stated,
“We will not restrain the trial judge from dealing with the application.”
Luthra further argued that the FIRs against Naidu seem to be a form of “regime revenge,” especially with the upcoming 2024 elections in sight. He stated,
“They’re roping him in FIR after FIR. He is a Z plus arrestee. 2024 Elections are there and they are trying to save themselves from embarrassment. This kind of regime revenge cannot happen.”
On the other hand, Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar, representing the Andhra Pradesh government, pointed out the magnitude of the scam, mentioning about
“3300 crores.. GST, authorities found there was siphoning off money and then a case was filed by CBI.”
Naidu’s plea to the Supreme Court comes after the Andhra Pradesh High Court declined to quash the FIR against him last week. He argued that the FIR, which was registered on December 9, 2021, naming him as the 37th accused, was not in compliance with Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. This section mandates obtaining prior sanction from the appropriate authority before registering an FIR against a public servant. Given that Naidu was the Chief Minister during the alleged scam, the competent authority would have been the state’s Governor.
Naidu, currently the Leader of the Opposition and the national president of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), described the actions against him as
“an orchestrated campaign of regime revenge.”
He emphasized the political vendetta, noting the
“belated application for grant of police custody on September 11, 2023,”
which targets not only the TDP but also his family, especially with the 2024 elections approaching.
The case has garnered significant attention, with Naidu’s arrest in connection to the alleged embezzlement of around Rs 371 crore from the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation through fictitious companies during the TDP’s rule between 2014 and 2019. The opposition leader was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh CID on September 9 and has been in custody since then. The matter is now set for further deliberation on October 3, 2023.