Vijayawada: The rejection of bail pleas from TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu in three cases by the AP High Court and the ACB court as also the postponement of Naidu’s quash petition in the Supreme Court to Tuesday has unnerved the Telugu Desam rank and file.
The AP High Court dismissed the petitions from Naidu seeking anticipatory bails in three different cases. The bench headed by Justice Suresh Reddy passed the orders. The three cases were the Amaravati Inner Ring Road Alignment scam case, the AP FibreNet case and the Angallu violence case in Annamayya district.
Naidu is currently lodged in the Rajahmundry central prison in relation to the Skill Development scam while the state CID is seeking his custody for questioning in the Inner Ring Road and FibreNet cases.
Notably, the AP High Court on September 26 had reserved its orders on Naidu’s anticipatory bail petition in the Angallu violence case. Naidu and other TD leaders had been booked for an “attempt to murder policemen” in connection with the incidents in Angallu village on August 4.
The incidents at Angallu and in Punganur town in Chittoor district occurred when Naidu was visiting the region to ascertain the status of various AP irrigation projects.
During the hearing, Naidu’s lawyer P. Venkateswarlu said a false case was booked against Naidu. “Leaders of the ruling YSRC attacked the TD men during Naidu’s visit.” He said NSG commandos protected Naidu during the stone-pelting from the ruling party activists.
Naidu’s counsel also brought to the court’s notice that several persons named accused in the case were already released on bail.
Earlier, the High Court granted bail to 79 leaders of the TD in the Punganur and Angallu violence cases. Another 30 TD leaders, including Naidu, have filed anticipatory bail petitions in these cases.
On August 9, police booked Naidu and other TD leaders, charging them with acts of “attempt to murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy” in Angallu. Naidu has been named as the first accused in the FIR registered at Mudivedu police station.
Advocate Krishna Murthy stated to the media that the AP High Court has rejected the bail petition of Naidu in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road, Fibrenet and Angallu rioting cases. The HC rejected two regular petitions on technical grounds. It opined that in the Fibrenet scam case, bail could not be granted as the investigation was in the final stages.
Naidu’s advocate argued that regular bail could be granted to him in other cases. The court rejected the plea. The investigation agencies maintained that Naidu’s judicial custody in a case “cannot be considered as deemed custody” for granting regular bail in another case.
The ACB special court in Vijayawada on Monday dismissed the bail petition of Naidu in the '371 crore skill development scam. The bail petition was filed on September 9, the day Naidu was arrested in Nandyal. The court also dismissed the custody petition filed by the state CID seeking custody of Naidu for five days.
The CID urged the ACB court to give police custody of the accused so that Naidu could be questioned in detail. However, counsel for Naidu argued that Naidu cooperated with the investigating officers during questioning at the CID office in Tadepalli and later at the Rajamahendravaram central prison. As such, there was no need for further extension of custody, it was argued.
The lawyers representing Naidu said that they would move HC to seek bail for the former CM after receiving the full text of the ACB court’s order.
