Meanwhile, the ACB court told the TDP chief that the bail petition he had moved through his lawyers would be taken up on Monday.
Published Sep 24, 2023 | 7:39 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 24, 2023 | 7:43 PM
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu at the SIT office of the CID. (X)
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will have to stay in judicial custody at the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison till 5 October.
The ACB court in Vijayawada extended his judicial remand after the CID produced him before the court virtually on the evening of Sunday, 24 September.
The CID, which interrogated him on Saturday and Sunday on his role in the multi-crore skill development scam, sought his custody again, on which the decision of the court is awaited.
The ACB court judge inquired about Nadiu’s health and whether the CID police, while questioning him, followed the court’s instructions.
The court also asked if the CID had caused him any inconvenience and whether a medical examination was done on him before and after questioning. Naidu’s answers were in the affirmative.
The judge then told him that the bail petition moved by his counsels would be taken up on Monday. She reassured Naidu that no charge had yet been proved against him, and that he should realise that he was in judicial custody and was not serving any sentence.
The ACB court sent Naidu to judicial custody on the evening of 10 September after a daylong legal battle between the defence and the prosecution on his remand.
In the evening, the court upheld the prosecution’s contention and remanded him to judicial custody till 22 September, and later on by two more days till 24 September.
On the court’s orders, the CID took Naidu into two-day custody on 22 September to interrogate him further on his involvement in the scam since it had little time to question him after his arrest in Nandyal on 9 September.
The two-day police custody of former Naidu, who was arrested in connection with the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation scam, was concluded at the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison.
In its second-day interrogation of Naidu on Sunday, the CID mainly focused on the way the scam was perpetrated at various levels.
The CID team also tried to elicit information about the reasons for setting up AP State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC).
It also focused on the misuse of the ₹371 crore on the pretext of upskilling and imparting new skills to the unemployed youth by setting up skill development centres through the APSSDC.
The CID team led by DSP M Dhanunjeyudu focused on the money trail after ₹371 crore was released to the APSSDC, and whether Naidu’s PA Pendyala Srinivas received ₹118 crore, and if so, why.
The team also sought the reason for the overriding of the advice of the Finance Ministry in releasing the funds to the APSSDC. The team also probed the connection between Kilaru Rajesh and Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh.
Meanwhile, a large number of IT employees took out a car rally from Hyderabad to Rajamahendravaram on Sunday to express solidarity with Naidu.
On coming to know about the rally, the Andhra Pradesh police enforced Section 144 of the CrPc in the Krishna district.
Special police pickets and check posts were set up in the districts bordering Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to restrict the entry of cars, but several IT employees managed to reach their destination.
Holding placards and raising slogans in support of Naidu, the IT employees began their rally from Hyderabad in the morning.
The biggest strength of #TDP is their cadre. After protests across the globe, they decided to take out a rally from #Hyderabad to #Rajahmundry where former chief minister & TDP supremo @ncbn has been lodged. Most of the participants are IT employees. Undeniably, Chandrababu Naidu… pic.twitter.com/AleTnHHWf9
— Rakesh Tummala #TDP2024 (@tummalarakesh6) September 24, 2023
