Amaravati land scam: Former Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu named as main accused in ₹4,400-crore case

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been named as main accused in the chargesheet of ₹4,400 crore Amaravati land scam case by the state police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), reports said. 

Former Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P Narayana has been named a co-accused, among others, in the chargesheet, the reports said. 

The Telugu Desam Party chief, Narayana, A Sudheer Babu and K P V Anjani Kumar are accused of grabbing the assigned 1,100 acres of land worth ₹4,400 crore. 

"In conspiracy with Naidu, Narayana, other ministers and their benamis, with an intention to grab the assigned lands in the capital city area from the SCs, STs and BCs, put them under the apprehension that the assigned lands will be taken away by the government under land pooling scheme without giving any package and purchased the lands from them at lower prices," an official release as quoted by India Today said.

The reports came close on the heels of Naidu's party TDP and the BJP, TDP and Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party (JSP) forging a seat-sharing formula in Amaravati on Monday. 

The accused have been booked under different charges including sections of the Indian Penal Code such as 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust), and 506 (criminal intimidation). 

The chargesheet, as per reports, also implicates them under sections related to public servants disobeying the law, framing incorrect records, abetment, criminal conspiracy, and various acts pertaining to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Andhra Pradesh Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfer) Act, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CID submitted the findings of the investigation on March 11  as evidence to prove the case in the ACB Court, Vijayawada, a report in the Hindu quoted sources as saying.