Andhra Pradesh HC grants regular bail to Chandrababu Naidu

AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday granted regular bail to former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the AP State Skill Development Corporation scam case.

The single-judge Bench made ‘absolute’ the interim bail granted to Naidu on October 31 on medical grounds.

This comes as a huge relief to Naidu, who was on four-week interim bail and was earlier directed to report to Rajahmundry Jail on November 28.

Justice T. Mallikarjuna Rao ordered that Naidu be released on regular bail on the bail bond already furnished by him.

The judge directed that the condition imposed on Naidu over participating in public rallies and meetings will be relaxed from November 29.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo has been directed to produce the medical reports, regarding his treatment, before the Special Court, Vijayawada on or before November 28.

The judge, who had reserved his orders on a regular bail petition on November 17, pronounced the same on Monday.

Senior lawyer Siddarth Luthra had represented Naidu while the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) was represented by Additional Advocate General P. Sudhakar Reddy.

The arguments centred around the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 invoked by the CID and the degree of Naidu’s role in the alleged scam.

Naidu, 73, was released from jail after 52 days on October 31 after the court granted him interim bail.

The CID had arrested Naidu on September 9 in the Skill Development scam which allegedly took place when he was the Chief Minister.

Vijayawada ACB Court had dismissed his bail petition on October 9. The TDP supremo had challenged the order in the High Court. Later, his counsels had moved a petition for interim bail in view of his poor health condition in the jail.