Amidst buzz of TDP-BJP reunion, Andhra CID files chargesheet against Chandrababu Naidu in IRR case

Also Read: What does an alliance with TDP mean for BJP in Andhra Pradesh?

The case so far

The case is based on a complaint lodged with the Andhra CID by the YSRCP’s Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy in April 2022. He shifted his loyalties to the Congress after YS Sharmila took charge as the party’s state-unit chief.

In his complaint, he alleged the abuse of the chair in manipulating the IRR alignment in connivance with and benefiting realtors Lingamaneni Ramesh and Lingamaneni Venkata Surya Rajasekhar as well as the company Heritage Foods owned by Chandrababu himself for a quid pro quo.

The AP CID pursued the case, and named Chandrababu Naidu as accused number one (A-1), former minister Ponguru Narayana as A-2, and Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh as A-14 on 13 September.

This was when Chandrababu Naidu was already in a 14-day judicial remand in the alleged skill development scam case.

The chargesheet said the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and former minister Narayana were the ex-officio chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the AP Capital Region Development Authority.

It added that they falsely projected to the government and the Council of Ministers that there was a government-to-government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Singapore and Andhra Pradesh.

The CID claimed, “There was no such G2G MoU, and there was no required approval from the Government of India for such an MoU.”

It further said, “Using the falsehood, they appointed a foreign master planner, Surbana Jurong, on a nomination basis and paid several crores of rupees in fees.”

The CID alleged that this was illegal in itself. It further stated that the planner was utilised to prepare the designs for the master plans in such a manner as to have an IRR and a seed-development area or start-up area to the advantage of the accused.

The chargesheet said: “The Inner Ring Road was designed in a manner as to pass just adjacent to the land bank of the Lingamanenis, Heritage Foods (in which Nara Chandrababu Naidu and his family members had controlling interests), and the educational institutions campuses belonging to the family members of the then-minister Ponguru Narayana.”

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The alleged quid pro quo

The CID further alleged a quid pro quo in designing the IRR to benefit the realtors and Heritage Foods.

Its chargesheet claimed that Ponguru Narayana “financed and purchased about 58 acres of land in the names of his relatives”.

It added that the seed capital area was designed “just adjacent to these lands” in conspiracy with Nara Chandrababu Naidu.

It added that the government made a commitment to spend ₹5,500 crore from the public exchequer and to make it so this area would be developed first, before any other area in the capital city area.

The CID alleged, “As a quid pro quo for the windfall gains in the value appreciation of the land bank of about 340 acres received by the Lingamanenis, they gifted a palatial house for the use of Nara Chandrababu Naidu and his family members as rent-free accommodation.”

The ACB court had earlier issued ad-interim attachment orders on this house, deeming it proceeds of crime under the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance of 1944.

While on Heritage Foods, the CID said that it purchased about 14 acres of land adjacent to the land bank of the Lingamanenis.

The IRR was designed to lie just adjacent to these lands, with the need for very minimal acquisition of land. It caused rapid appreciation of the value of the lands.

Also Read: What Andhra CID told the ACB Court on alleged Amaravati IRR scam

Nara Lokesh’s counter

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on 10 January granted anticipatory bail to Chandrababu Naidu in the skill development scam case, which was also upheld by the Supreme Court as challenged by the state government.

Nara Lokesh, who was quizzed by the AP CID in October 2023, told reporters in Vijayawada that the allegations in the alleged IRR scam case were propelled by political motives and were not true.

He stated to the investigation agency that he had paid ₹27 lakh to the realtor as an advance for the guest house, asking how it could be considered quid pro quo.

Regarding Heritage Foods’ purchase of land in Amaravati near the IRR, Nara Lokesh argued that it was evident that the company was losing its land due to the change in alignment, challenging the claim that the company gained an undue advantage by altering the alignment.