On Sunday evening, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu was sent to 14 days’ judicial custody by the court of the third additional sessions judge-cum-special judge at Vijayawada.
He was arrested on Saturday in connection with the Andhra Pradesh skill development program scam case.
The investigation against Naidu centers around a scheme that allegedly diverted government funds intended for a skill development project into various shell companies through fraudulent invoices, which did not correspond with the delivery of services.
The court delivered the order nearly six hours after arguments by lawyers on behalf of the AP CID and Naidu ended. CID lawyers sought 15 days’ remand, while Naidu’s lawyers submitted an application to reject the remand application.
Naidu, in a plea challenging the CID’s remand report against him, had asserted before the Vijayawada court that he had been falsely implicated in the case. He also said that there was a clear statutory violation of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Section 17A deals with the need for prior sanction to enquire into the actions of public servants done in the discharge of their official duties.
Naidu’s petition contended that in his case since he was Chief Minster, the Governor of the State would be the sanctioning authority.
The TDP chief was shifted to Rajahmundry Central Jail, 200 km from Vijayawada, after the court order.
