Supreme Court asks Naidu to mention plea for quashing of FIR in AP skill development scam on 26 Sept

Mentioning a matter that is not part of the day’s “mentioning list” is called out-of-turn mentioning.

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Not part of the mentioned matters

The bench, headed by the CJI, refused to allow out-of-turn mentioning since it was not a part of the mentioned matters listed before the bench on Monday.

Observing that it could not interfere since “the investigation is on fulcrum of attaining finality”, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had, on 22 September, dismissed Naidu’s petition challenging his arrest in the ₹371 crore skill development scam and the quashing of the FIR.

On Sunday, he was sent to judicial custody till 5 October, following a two-day interrogation by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID).

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court in Vijayawada extended his judicial remand after the CID produced him before the court virtually on Sunday evening.

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.

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ACB Court inquires about CID questioning

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.

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The arrest and questioning of Naidu

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.