Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister minister N Chandrababu Naidu was sent to judicial custody for 14 days in connection with Skill Development scam case after arguments in the Anti Corruption Bureau court in Vijayawada which lasted for more than six hours.
His legal team will challenge the verdict of the ACB court tomorrow in the AP High Court while the septuagenarian leader will be lodged in the Rajahmundry Central jail.
The state CID had requested a 15-day long remand citing lack of cooperation from the TDP president in the investigations and to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the scam. It had charged him under IPC Section 409 which stipulates either life imprisonment or imprisonment up to ten years along with fine.
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Naidu, who was arrested by CID at 6 am yesterday, was finally produced at the ACB court at around 6 am today after enduring a nine hour long journey from Nandyal to Vijayawada and then another nine hour long grilling at the office of the Special Investigations Team (SIT).
The remand report said that he had refused to travel by helicopter from Nandyal. He was taken for medical check up at 4 am and then taken back to SIT office leaving TDP leaders and his family worried about the 73-year-old politician.
AP CID filed a 28-page long remand report stating that though he was listed as Accused No.37 he was actually the “chief architect and conspirator behind the offence.” Naidu himself made submissions before the judge claiming that these were false accusations against him for political gain.
The decision to establish the Skill Development Corporation was taken by the Cabinet. It was included in the Budget approved by the state Assembly in 2015-16. Budget allocations approved by the Assembly cannot be challenged through criminal proceedings.
He also pointed out that CID did not mention his role in the FIR registered on 9 December,2021. The former chief minister was represented in court by Supreme Court advocate Siddarth Luthra who argued that no permission was taken from the governor prior to his arrest. There was a huge deployment of police personnel outside court premises to tackle law and order situation and TDP cadres who had gathered were removed from the vicinity.
Meanwhile, the meeting of TDP leaders with Governor S Abdul Nazeer scheduled for today was cancelled. TDP leaders wanted to complain to the Governor about the police not serving advance notice nor seeking the Governor’s permission prior to Naidu’s arrest.
Yesterday night, there was a hge ruckus when Jana Sena leader and Telugu actor Pawan Kalyan who was denied permission to land his charter plane at Gannavaram airport tried to reach Vijayawada by road.
As Kalyan tried to enter AP, he was stopped by police at Jaggayyapeta. When he was refused entry, Pawan Kalyan staged a protest by lying down on the road. He was later arrested by police along with Nadendla Manohar, former Speaker and was taken to Vijayawada. His supporters and fans followed behind the police convoy.
