Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister challenges FIR verdict in Supreme Court

Challenging the High Court verdict

Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader, N Chandrababu Naidu, has taken his legal battle to the Supreme Court. He is contesting the high court's decision to dismiss his plea to quash the FIR filed against him in the skill development corruption case.

Naidu's legal team filed the petition with the Supreme Court registry on a recent Saturday. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had rejected his request to quash the FIR, citing that it could not interfere when the investigation was in its final stages.

High Court's stance

The high court elaborated that it could not conduct a mini-trial in a case related to Section 482 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with offenses like using a false property mark. The court emphasized the complexity of the investigation, involving over 140 witnesses and more than 4,000 documents, which required utmost professionalism.

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TDP's response

In response to the high court's ruling, K Atchen Naidu, the TDP state president, announced that the party's legal team would take the matter to the Supreme Court. He voiced concerns over what he perceived as a vengeful approach from Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's government towards the TDP.

A TDP sympathizer and film producer, Narayana Rao Atluri, submitted a memorandum to Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in Delhi. In it, he alleged that Chandrababu Naidu's incarceration was the result of a political conspiracy.

Ongoing investigation

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is preparing to interrogate Chandrababu Naidu in connection with the skill development corporation scam, which is said to have caused a loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer. The CID has identified a team of officers, including deputy superintendents of police, who will conduct the interrogation at the Rajamahendravaram central prison.

Previously, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Vijayawada granted the CID two days of police custody for further investigation into the case. Chandrababu Naidu had been arrested on September 9 on charges of misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation, where he was named as the primary accused.

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