Arguments over, verdict awaited on Chandrababu Naidu's petition seeking house custody

Arguments over, verdict awaited on Chandrababu Naidu’s petition seeking house custody

Lawyers for Naidu, who enjoys Z-plus security cover, sought house custody for their client, fearing a threat to his life in jail.

ByRaj Rayasam

Published Sep 11, 2023 | 8:39 PM ⚊UpdatedSep 11, 2023 | 8:39 PM

TDP workers protesting the arrest of party chief N Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh. (X)

Arguments on a petition requesting house custody for former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu concluded in the ACB court in Vijayawada on Monday, 11 September. The verdict is awaited.

Naidu, arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in the multi-crore skill development scam and remanded in custody for 14 days, moved the petition for house custody on Sunday, 10 September, citing security reasons.

The TDP supremo — who is protected by Z-plus security, the highest security category in India — was arrested in a pre-dawn swoop on Saturday.

Supreme Court lawyer Siddhartha Luthra, who appeared for Naidu, sought house custody for his client, fearing a threat to his life in jail.

He said that until now Naidu had the protection of the National Security Guard (NSG) but in the central prison, the security might not be adequate.

Related: Naidu, TDP ultimate beneficiaries of skill development scam, says CID

Additional Advocate General P Sudhakar Reddy, appearing for the CID, argued that Naidu would be safer in jail than outside.

He said the TDP leader was in good health and enough security had been provided to him. He said that should the need arise, the government was ready to provide necessary help.

ACB court special judge B Satya Venkata Hima Bindu had already ordered all facilities, including heightened security, by allotting him a special room to Naidu considering his status as the Opposition leader in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly.

The judge also allowed him home-cooked food and medicines to be supplied from outside.

Related: Court prima facie found material to show Naidu’s nexus with others

CID files two petitions, seeks Naidu’s custody

Meanwhile, the CID filed a petition seeking Naidu’s custody for five days for further interrogation.

The investigation agency also filed another petition in the ACB court for a prisoner transit (PT) warrant to question Naidu in the under-investigation Amaravati Inner Ring Road scam.

The Inner Ring Road case accused the erstwhile TDP government of resorting to corruption and encroachment of lands.

The CID, in the FIR registered in 2022, said that the government resorted to irregularities while finalising the road’s alignment.

The CID alleged that Naidu and former minister P Narayana were involved in changing the design of the road to facilitate the exponential appreciation of the value of lands owned by TDP leaders and those who close to them.