Skill scam: High Court reserves verdict on Naidu’s bail petition

AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday reserved judgment on the bail petition filed by former Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu in the multi-crore skill development scam case. The court might announce its further decision on the interim bail in the same case on Tuesday.

Earlier Sidharth Luthra, the counsel for Chandrababu Naidu participated in the arguments from New Delhi in hybrid mode and Additional Advocate General Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy argued for the APCID. Sidharth Luthra sought a 15-day interim bail for Naidu urging the court to consider his advancing age, skin and eye ailments.

The hearing of bail petition, interim petition, and other related petitions must have come before Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur. However, with four new justices taking charge the CJ decided to change the roaster.

Earlier quash petitions were dealt with by Justice Srinivasa Reddy and bail petitions by Justice Suresh Reddy. Justice Nunepally Harinath would be handling a single bench to handle ACB and CBI cases filed till 2014. Justices AV Seshasai, Jagadam Sumathi, U Durgaprasada Rao, Mandava Kiranmayi, CH Raghavendranath Rai and Nyapathi Vijay would hear division bench cases.

Meanwhile, the APCID filed a memo at the ACB special court under the Prevention of Corruption Act involving Chandrababu Naidu for illegally granting permits to liquor companies.