Andhra Pradesh High Court Restrains Chandrababu Naidu From Participating In Political Rallies, Giving Interviews On Skill Development Scam Case

Andhra Pradesh High Court has restrained former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu from participating in political rallies or giving interviews in connection with the Skill development scam case.

Naidu was granted interim bail for 4 weeks earlier today on medical grounds. He claimed he was recommended to undergo Cataract surgery in the right eye, back in June.

On an application moved by the State government seeking imposition of additional bail conditions, Justice T. Mallikarjun Rao ordered,

"this Court is inclined to direct the respondent/petitioner not to participate in political rallies and give any press interviews including both print and digital media nor make any public comments in connection with this case until disposal of this petition."

The matter is listed again tomorrow for Naidu's reply.

While granting relief to Naidu, the judge had refused to believe that he would seek surgery only to secure bail. "This Court views that it would be unreasonable for a prudent individual to seek Cataract surgery solely for the purpose of obtaining bail. If that is so, the petitioner need not have waited till 25.10.2023 to come up with this petition," the court said.

Naidu has been in Rajamundry jail for over 50 days in connection with the Skill development scam case. He was arrested on September 9 with the state crime investigation department claiming to have prima facie evidence of the former chief minister’s key role in the alleged embezzlement of around Rs 371 crore from the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation through fictitious companies during the Telugu Desam Party's rule between 2014 and 2019.

Last month, the High Court dismissed Naidu’s plea for quashing of the first information report (FIR) in which he argued that the trial court’s order remanding him to custody did not consider that the CID had failed to obtain prior approval from the governor, as required by Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

A special leave petition against this order is pending before the Supreme Court.