The TDP chief and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister is currently facing corruption and other charges in at least six cases.
Published Nov 03, 2023 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 03, 2023 | 8:50 AM
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu. (File photo/Supplied)
The arrest of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on 9 September in a pre-dawn swoop at Nandyal and his subsequent remand in judicial custody pertained to the alleged ₹371-crore skill development scam.
But petitions filed in the Anti-Corruption Court (ACB) Court by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) suggest that more cases are likely to be filed against the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister for alleged sins of omission and commission.
Here is a list of the alleged scams for which Naidu is being investigated by the CID for which cases have been filed.
The CID registered a case and issued an FIR on 1 November listing Naidu as Accused No 2 (A2) in the case.
The CID registered the case on the complaint by the director of the state’s Mines and Geology Department. He levelled allegations against Naidu and two former ministers — Peethala Sujatha and Devineni Umamaheshwar Rao — as well as former MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar.
The complainant said that the Naidu dispensation, in 2016, did away with the then-existing sand policy, which laid down that sand reaches should be entrusted to the AP Ministerial Development Corporation, which, in turn, would allot them to mahila samakhyas.
Instead, it brought in the Free Sand Policy, which lifted the gates for illegal sand quarrying, which benefited those in high places.
The avowed objective was to provide sand for construction purposes to the public without any charges, according to the allegations.
The CID registered a case against Naidu for “manipulating” the state’s liquor policy to benefit certain distilleries and suppliers when he was the chief minister of the state from 2014 to 2019.
The case was registered against him on 28 October based on a complaint by the Commissioner of Distilleries and Breweries, and the managing director of Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation.
Naidu was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988 for allegedly causing a loss of about ₹1,300 crore a year to the public exchequer.
Bureaucrat IS Naresh is A1, former minister and senior TDP leader Kollu Ravindra is A2, and Naidu is A3.
This is a case of alleged misappropriation of ₹371 crore intended for training unemployed youth in Andhra Pradesh through the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC).
This is said to have occurred during Naidu’s tenure as chief minister from 2014 to 2019.
An MoU with Siemens for a skill development project worth ₹3,356 crore was signed, of which Siemens was to come up with 90 percent.
The CID has alleged that Naidu conspired to convert the project into a government-funded initiative and released ₹371 crore into the account of DesignTech, a technology partner.
The funds were then allegedly diverted through fake invoices and shell companies, resulting in a loss of ₹370 crore to the state government.
Naidu was arrested on 9 September in this case and faces several charges, including criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and corruption.
In August, Chandrababu Naidu and a few leaders of his party faced serious allegations in connection with an incident in the Angallu village of the Annamayya district in the state. It was reported that they incited violence and riots during a rally.
The case was filed following a complaint by Angallu Market Committee Chairman Umapathi Reddy, who is associated with the YSRCP.
The charges included criminal conspiracy, rioting, intimidation, and unlawful assembly.
The police alleged that Naidu changed his rally route at the last minute and made derogatory remarks about a local MLA, resulting in clashes between TDP and YSRCP workers.
Several injuries were reported, including those among YSRCP cadres and police personnel. Naidu denied these allegations, claiming there was an attempt on his life.
The Amaravati Inner Ring Road (IRR) case is one of alleged corruption and land-grabbing by Naidu and his associates, including his son Nara Lokesh and former minister P Narayana.
They are alleged to have changed the alignment of the IRR in Andhra Pradesh’s proposed capital of Amaravati to favour the real-estate company Lingameneni Estates, causing losses to farmers.
In return, they obtained the Lingameni Guest House as free accommodation for Naidu, renovating it with public funds without declaring it an official residence.
Naidu’s company Heritage Foods Pvt Ltd also acquired lands along the IRR alignment.
The CID has named Naidu as Accused No 1 in the case. Naidu has denied all charges.
The Andhra Pradesh Fibernet case involves alleged irregularities in the tendering process and execution of the AP Fibernet project during the erstwhile TDP government’s tenure. This project aimed to provide optical fibre connectivity across the state.
The CID filed an FIR against 19 persons, including Chandrababu Naidu, accusing them of awarding a tender for ₹321 crore to Tera Software, a blacklisted company, under questionable circumstances.
The CID alleged collusion and various offences, including cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, and corruption. The estimated loss to the exchequer was around ₹122 crore.
