Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu suffered major setbacks on September 22 (Friday) as the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down his petition for quashing the FIR registered by the CID in the skill development scam case and the consequential remand order of the Vijayawada ACB Court.
Following the High Court decision, the ACB Court permitted the CID to do his (Mr. Naidu) custodial interrogation for two days, i.e. on September 23 and 24, in the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison, where he had been lodged since September 10.
Justice K. Sreenivasa Reddy of the High Court delivered his verdict on Mr. Naidu’s petition, wherein he was convinced that it was not proper on his part to meddle with the investigation at the FIR stage.
He said in his order that the investigating agency (CID) examined more than 140 witnesses and collected about 4,000 documents pursuant to the registration of the crime in the year 2021, and, therefore, the court was not inclined to interfere with the impugned proceedings when the investigation was on the fulcrum of attaining finality.
He observed that a mini-trial could not be conducted at this stage, and none of the parameters laid down by the Supreme Court with regard to the circumstances under which a High Court could interfere in such petitions was satisfied.
‘Actions not in good faith’
He pointed out that Mr. Naidu’s alleged actions could not be construed to be in good faith and in discharge of his official duties as the Chief Minister. Therefore, no prior approval from the competent authority (Governor of A.P.) was necessary under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for inquiring into his role.
Mr. Naidu is arrayed as A-37 in the case that pertains to the swindling of huge sums in the process of establishment of skill development institutions by the APSSDC in collaboration with Siemens Industry Software India Private Limited, DesignTech Systems Private Limited and some other companies.
Meanwhile, ACB Court judge B.S.V. Himabindu’s order to give Mr. Naidu to CID custody came close on the heels of the High Court’s dismissal of his quash petition.
She had to wait for delivery of the High Court verdict, which Justice Sreenivasa Reddy had kept in reserve on September 19 after a fierce legal battle between eminent lawyers Mukul Rohatgi and Harish Salve, counsels for the State/CID and Mr. Naidu respectively.
Ms. Himabindu allowed the CID to question Mr. Naidu from morning to 5 p.m. on both the given days in the presence of two advocates, but without subjecting him to any harassment or cruelty.
Remand extended by two days
Earlier in the day, she extended Mr. Naidu’s judicial remand for two days, consequent to its expiry on Friday.
While the ACB Court allowed the CID’s petition to take Mr. Naidu into custody, his interim and regular bail pleas before it are likely to be taken up on or after September 25.
The PT warrants filed by the CID in the same court against Mr. Naidu in the Inner Ring Road and FiberNet cases are also pending final adjudication.
