VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID), which filed a First Information Report (FIR) against former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in connection with the alleged Amaravati land scam served notices to Naidu at his residence in Hyderabad on Monday evening.
In the notice, the CID asked Naidu to appear in person before the Investigating Officer on March 23 at the CID regional office at Satyanarayanapuram in Vijayawada.
"Failure to attend or comply with the terms of the notices, you will be liable for arrest under Section 41 (3) and (4) of CrPC,'' the notice read.
The alleged scam involves the aggregation of thousands of acres of land for the proposed capital of the divided state of Andhra Pradesh. The New Indian Express was the first to break the news on the CID case against Chandrababu Naidu.
The notice served by investigating officer A Lakshmi Narayana Rao, the Deputy Superintendent of Police of CID, said, "for the effective and better investigation, I deem it fit and necessary to examine you/Accused no 1 in the crime to ascertain facts which are within your exclusive knowledge."
A similar notice was served under Section 41 (A) of CrPC on TDP leader Ponguru Narayana Rao, who was the minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) during the TDP regime.
The FIR was registered based on a complaint lodged by Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy. The CID registered cases under Sections 166, 167, 217 and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) r/w 34, 35, 36 and 37 of IPC and section 3(1) (f) and (g) of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989 and Section 3 of Assigned Land Act (POT) 1977.
In the notices, Naidu was asked to cooperate for investigation by appearing before the Investigating Officer as and when required and produce evidences, if any, 'for effective and proper investigation and for arriving logical conclusions.'
Naidu was asked not to interfere with the process of investigation either directly or indirectly, not to contact or come into contact or influence or intimidate or induce or threaten the witness or any other persons acquainted with the facts of the case and not to tamper or disappear the evidences.
Reacting on the notices issued to Naidu, the party AP unit president K Atchannaidu said assigned lands were taken with the consent of the SCs and STs for Amaravati. "How can Mangalagiri MLA Ramakrishna Reddy file a complaint based on SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, when he does not belong to that community? This is nothing but misuse of the Act,'' he said and alleged that the government is being vindictive against the TDP chief.
Municipal Administration and Urban Development minister Botcha Satyanarayana said that the law will take its own course.