VIJAYAWADA: In a fresh development in the alleged Amaravati land scam, the Special ACB Court in Vijayawada on Friday issued ad-interim orders accepting the petition submitted by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (APCID) to attach TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu’s guest house on Karakatta Road in Undavalli on Friday. The river front guest house is owned by Lingamaneni Ramesh and Naidu has been staying in it since State bifurcation.
Disputed properties to be attached
Additionally, the ACB court has issued ad-interim orders to attach the disputed properties of former municipal administration minister P Narayana’s close aides. It also instructed officials to freeze Rs 1.92 crore in various bank accounts belonging to the TDP leader Narayana and his relatives on whose name lands were registered.
It may be recalled that the State government issued two orders on May 12, authorising APCID to attach 23 properties, including the guest house of the former Chief Minister.
The probe agency has contended that the guest house was given to Naidu by Lingamaneni Ramesh in a quid-pro-quo case for sharing capital designs before announcing them officially and changing the alignment of the Inner Ring Road (IRR).
As per the GO Ms No 89 and 90, the State government has taken an action under section 3 and 10(a) (b) of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 1944 (Ordinance No XXXVIII) for attachment of the immovable properties, preventing the disposal or concealment of the ill-gotten wealth, and instructed the APCID chief N Sanjay Kumar to take action. During the investigation, the APCID officials found that close aides of Narayana purchased as many as 22 immovable properties before the capital designs were announced.
Later, the CID officials filed two petitions with the ACB special court seeking orders for attaching as many as 23 immovable properties in connection with the ongoing case.
“ACB special court judge Bindu Madhavi accepted CID’s argument and passed ad-interim orders, holding transactions over the property in question. In addition, the court approved the attachment of another 22 properties belonging to Narayana and freezing of rs 1.92 crore in his bank accounts. Hearing in the case was adjourned to July 14,” said the sources in the department.