AP files SLP in Supreme Court seeking stay on regular bail to Chandrababu Naidu in skill scam case
The AP Government is arguing that the High Court while granting the bail made certain observations trespassing into the merits of the case
- Andhra Pradesh
NewsTAP Bureau- Updated On:21 Nov 2023 2:10 PM GMT
NEW DELHI: The Andhra Pradesh Government on Tuesday moved a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the regular bail granted to skill scam-tainted former Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Additional Advocate General Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy moved the petition on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID). The AP Government is arguing that the High Court while granting the bail made certain observations trespassing into the merits of the case while it was supposed to look only into the demand for bail in the skill development scam case.
The High Court on Monday observed that the accused had been outside the purview of the court for almost 22 months since the beginning of the investigation on the skill development scam. The Court took into cognisance that Chandrababu Naidu was arrested by the CID just after filing an FIR.
The Court also mentioned that there was not enough proof that Naidu had affected the case by influencing the witnesses. The Court opined that Naidu would not be in a position to escape from the hands of the law if released on bail and asked the AP CID how it concluded that Naidu was involved in the scam based on the WhatsApp messages between the Siemens Director and representatives of Designtech.
The onus of verifying the signatures of Suman Bose was not vested with the Chief Minister (Nara Chandrababu Naidu), the Court said, adding that the forensic department would have to confirm his involvement. The Court, before handing over the bail, had also said that there was no evidence to prove that the then Government had any role in the alleged scam.
