Vijayawada, September 22: The Vijayawada Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court has granted custody of former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) for two days for questioning in the skill development case.
The court has instructed the CID to conduct the questioning at the Rajahmundry Central Jail, where Naidu is currently detained. The orders were pronounced in response to the CID’s petition, with the judge stipulating that the questioning should take place from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the presence of Naidu’s legal representatives. Additionally, the court has prohibited the release of photographs and videos related to the interrogation.
Although the CID had requested Naidu’s custody for five days, the court granted it for only two days. The court has also asked the CID to provide the names of the officials who will be conducting the questioning.
After the conclusion of the two-day custody, Naidu is to be produced before the court through video-conference, as per the judge’s directive.
This development follows the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s dismissal of Naidu’s petition to quash the FIR against him and to set aside his judicial remand. Earlier in the day, the ACB Court had extended Naidu’s judicial custody until September 24.
Naidu was arrested by the CID in Nandyal on September 9 in connection with the case. The subsequent day, the ACB Court in Vijayawada remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days, after which he was transferred to Rajahmundry Central Jail.
The case revolves around the establishment of clusters of Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in Andhra Pradesh, with a total estimated project value of Rs 3,300 crore during Naidu’s tenure as chief minister. The CID alleges that the alleged fraud resulted in a significant loss of Rs 371 crore to the state government. According to the CID, an advance of Rs 371 crore, representing the entire 10 percent government commitment for the project, was disbursed before any expenditure by the private entities. The CID further claims that most of the funds released by the government as an advance were diverted to shell companies through fraudulent invoices, with no actual delivery or sale of the items mentioned in the invoices, according to CID officials. The CID’s remand report notes that the total amount spent by private entities on six skill development clusters came exclusively from funds advanced by the state government and the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Centre, totaling Rs 371 crore.