BackEx Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu moves Supreme Court challenging HC order dismissing his petition
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu moves SC challenging HC order dismissing his plea to quash FIR in Skill Development Corporation scam.
PremiumTelegu Desam Party (TDP) chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has moved the Supreme Court of India challenging the Andhra Pradesh High Court's order dismissing his plea for quashing the FIR against him in Skill Development Corporation scam case.
Earlier in the day, a team from Andhra Pradesh Police CID began their interrogation of Chandrababu Naidu in the Skill Development Corporation scam case at the central prison in Rajamahendravaram.
On Friday, the ACB Court in Vijayawada granted two days' police custody of the 73-year old Naidu to the CID for further interrogation. The Vijaywada court on Friday extended the judicial remand of the TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the case pertaining to Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation scam till 24 September.
The questioning is allowed from 9.30 am to 5 pm on both days-- 23 September, 24 September.
The court allowed three deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) from the Economic Offences Wing of the CID, accompanied by six more junior police officers, one professional videographer and two official mediators to participate in the interrogation.
On Friday, TDP state president K Atchen Naidu had said the party’s legal wing will approach the Supreme Court in the wake of the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissing party leader N Chandrababu Naidu's FIR quash petition.
Atchen Naidu noted the TDP’s legal wing is going through the High Court order, and alleged that Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had adopted a vengeful approach towards the southern state’s principal opposition party.
What is AP Skill Development Corporation scam case?
N Chandrababu Naidu was arrested in the early hours from a marriage hall outside which his caravan was parked. He was produced in the ACB Court in Vijayawada the next day morning around 6 am.
According to officials, the case pertains to the establishment of clusters of Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in the state of Andhra Pradesh, with a total estimated project value of ₹300 crore. The agency officials also claimed that the alleged fraud has caused a huge loss to the state government in excess of ₹300 crores.
As per CID, the investigation has revealed irregularities such as before any expenditure by private entities, the then state government provided an advance of ₹371 crores, representing the entire 10% commitment by the Andhra Pradesh government.
Most of the money advanced by the government was diverted to shell companies through fake invoices, with no actual delivery or sale of the items mentioned in the invoices, CID officials said.
In its remand report, the CID has said that according to the investigation so far, the total amount spent by private entities on six skill development clusters is sourced exclusively from funds advanced by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and AP Skill Development Center, totalling ₹371 crores.
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