HC Reserves Verdict on Naidu's Bail Plea in AP Fibernet Case

VIJAYAWADA: The AP High Court completed its hearing on a plea filed by Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu seeking anticipatory bail in AP Fibernet case and reserved its verdict here on Thursday.

A single judge bench of Justice Srinivasa Reddy heard the arguments from both the parties.

Naidu’s counsel Siddarth Luthra argued that though the FIR in the case was registered two years ago by the AP-CID, it failed to file a charge-sheet so far. “A sum of Rs 333 crore was allotted in the state budget for implementation of the project. This was an internal matter of the department.”

“Though the petitioner (Naidu) was out of the government in the last two years after the booking of the case, there was no evidence of him tampering with the records or issuing any threat to the witnesses. As the petitioner belongs to an Opposition party, the government wanted him to be behind the bars,” Luthra said.

He argued for grant of anticipatory bail to Naidu, with some conditions.

Advocate general representing the CID, S. Sriram, argued thus: “Based on a direction from the petitioner, Vemuri Hariprasad was made as a member in the governing council and the last date for filling of tender was extended (by the Naidu government) up to August 7, 2015, from July 31, 2015, without giving any reason for doing so.”

The name of the Tera Software Ltd was withdrawn from the blacklist just a day before the last date for filing of tenders. Despite the objections raised by a senior official, the tender was given in favour of the firm.”

He submitted that at the behest of petitioner, the cost of the project was enhanced to Rs 333 crore from Rs 295 crore. “The contract agency used poor quality equipment for the works; and the savings made from this was diverted to the bank accounts of Vemuri Hari Prasad and to his family members.”

“The investigation agency was suspecting that such an amount was again deposited into the bank accounts of the petitioner and to his family members,” the court was told.