Andhra ex-CM Chandrababu Naidu sent to 14-day judicial custody; TDP to move HC

While Naidu is in judicial custody, the CID will have to seek permission from the court to question him. Naidu will appeal against the Anti-Corruption Bureau court’s order in the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday, TDP senior spokesperson K Pattabhiram told The Indian Express. The TDP chief was shifted to Rajahmundry Central Jail, 200 km from Vijayawada, after the court order.

Naidu, who was arrested at dawn on Saturday at Nandyal for his alleged involvement in the AP Skill Development Corporation scam, was produced in the court in the morning.

The scam allegedly took place during the TDP rule from 2014 to 2019. The CID says that Naidu is the primary accused in the case involving Rs 371 crore of government funds allegedly transferred to shell companies.

The CID submitted in its remand report that Naidu had “indulged in a criminal conspiracy with the intention of fraudulent misappropriation or otherwise conversion of government funds for his own use, disposal of property which was under the control of a public servant, besides engaging in cheating, forging documents and destroying evidence”.

For the past 45 years, I have selflessly served Telugu people. I am prepared to sacrifice my life to safeguard the interests of Telugu people. No force on earth can stop me from serving Telugu people, my #AndhraPradesh and my motherland.

Posted at 6 AM, 09th September 2023 pic.twitter.com/721COYldUd

— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) September 9, 2023

The CID brought Naidu to the court in the early hours amid tight security after questioning him for nearly 10 hours at the special investigation team’s office. He was taken to the Government General Hospital at 3.40 am for medical tests and taken back to the office before being produced in the court.

Naidu is being represented by Supreme Court lawyer Siddharth Luthra and a team of other senior lawyers. His counsel argued that he had been falsely implicated in the case. The prosecution has not obtained the required sanction from the governor to investigate him, they said citing that he was chief minister when the offence was allegedly committed. They also said the alleged offences relate to policy decisions approved by the cabinet.

They sought to point out that the government had allocated Rs 360 crore in the 2015-16 budget for the Department of Skill Entrepreneurship and Innovation and said the allocation could not be questioned through criminal proceedings.

#WATCH | Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrest former Andhra Pradesh CM and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

(Video Source: TDP) pic.twitter.com/W2KN3BDUjY

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2023

The counsel said that as per the complaint and the remand report, no role was attributed to Naidu in siphoning off the funds and that there was no such allegation in the FIR registered on December 9, 2021. Moreover, no criminal complaint can be maintained relating to acts done in discharge of official duties, they argued. If there is any misuse of funds, it has to be dealt with differently, but not by prosecuting a former chief minister, they added.

They also said that no material was brought on record by the CID to make out a prima facie case or even to remand Naidu in judicial custody.

Naidu’s wife N Bhuvaneswari, son N Lokesh, brother-in-law N Ramakrishna and his wife N Jayashree, and senior TDP leaders were present outside the court.