Major Blow to Naidu, Andhra High Court Rejects Quash Petition in Skill Development Case

In a major setback to the former chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday dismissed the petition of TDP leader to quash the FIR registered against him in the skill development scam. 

Delivering the verdict, Justice K Srinivas Reddy said since the investigation by the CID officials is on fulcrum of attaining finality and the court is not inclined to interfere with the impugned proceedings at this stage. 

“The investigating agency (CID), 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 finality, this Court is not inclined to interfere with the impugned proceedings,” the court said in its 68-page order.

The counsels representing Naidu told the court that the due procedure contemplated in section 17A of Prevention of Corruption Act was not followed while registering the FIR against their client. 

Senior Supreme Court advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who argued on behalf of Andhra Pradesh government, submitted to the court that section 17A of PC Act does not apply as the investigating agency took up the investigation in this case before the amendment of July 26, 2018.

The state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has named Naidu as the prime accused in a skill development scam. The TDP leader was arrested in Nandyal in a multi-crore skill development scam and lodged in Rajahmundry central prison.