By C Subrahmanyam
The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday dismissed the petition filed by former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu, seeking to quash the FIR registered against him by the AP Crime Investigation Department (CID) in the alleged AP Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) scam.
The scam pertains to the alleged diversion of public funds to the tune of Rs 371 crore to private entities through shell companies, resulting in a loss to the state exchequer and gains to Naidu and his party. The CID had registered a case against Naidu and others in December 2021 and arrested him in September 2023.
Naidu had approached the High Court, contending that the FIR was politically motivated and based on false allegations. He had also claimed that the CID had no jurisdiction to investigate the case, as the APSSDC was a company registered under the Companies Act and not a government entity.
However, the single judge bench of Justice Srinivasa Reddy rejected Naidu’s arguments and upheld the validity of the FIR and the investigation. The judge observed that the disputed questions of fact could not be decided by the court at this stage, and that the investigation had to be carried out by the professionals with utmost proficiency.
The judgment concluded as follows:
“Amidst the aforesaid rival submissions of both the senior counsel, this Court is of the opinion that in respect of the disputed questions of fact, a mini trial cannot be conducted by this Court in a petition filed under Section 482 CrPC. The investigating agency, pursuant to the registration of the crime in the year
2021, examined as many as more than 140 witnesses and collected documents to the tune of more than 4000.
Profligacy is such an esoteric subject, where investigation has to be carried with utmost proficiency by the professionals. At this stage, where the investigation is on fulcrum of attaining finalty, this Court is not inclined to interfere with the impugned proceedings.
The Criminal Petition is devoid of merit and is, accordingly, dismissed, and the consequential reliefs sought are dismissed. Miscellaneous Petitions, if any, pending in this Criminal Petition, shall stand closed.”
The judge noted that the CID had examined more than 140 witnesses and collected more than 4000 documents in the course of the investigation, which was on the verge of completion. The judge said that the court was not inclined to interfere with the impugned proceedings at this juncture.
The judge dismissed the petition and the consequential reliefs sought by Naidu, and closed the miscellaneous petitions, if any, pending in the case.
Meanwhile, An Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) court has granted Chandrababu Naidu’s custody to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) for two days in the alleged multi-crore Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation corruption case.
Andhra Pradesh Additional Advocate General (AAG) P Sudhakar Reddy said Naidu will be kept in the Rajahmundry Central Jail and will be investigated. Chandrababu Naidu will be questioned by the AP CID inside the Rajahmundry jail on Saturday and Sunday.
