VIJAYAWADA: The ACB special court on Monday posted a hearing of the petition by Andhra Pradesh CID seeking five-day custody of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu as well as the bail plea filed by the former Chief Minister in the skill development corporation case, to Tuesday.
The court took up CID’s custody petition first, which was reportedly objected by Naidu’s advocates insisting that the bail petitions should be heard before the CID’s plea to extend the TDP chief’s custody. The court then adjourned the hearing to Tuesday.
In its custody petition, the CID informed the court that Naidu prevented the investigating agency from eliciting details regarding the case by employing dilatory tactics.
“Naidu stonewalled the queries of the investigating officer by questioning the police custody issued by the court,’’ the CID said, adding that the former CM was adamant that he would answer only after going through the content of the order.
The state probe agency argued that Naidu did not even allow the line of questioning to proceed and insisted on recording his own narration.
The CID told the court that it couldn’t confront the accused with the statements given by another accused, Vikas Khanvilkar, the director of shell companies, and other principal conspirators, including Ghanta Subba Rao, Dr K Lakshminarayana and statements of witnesses such as Amit Sehgal, the legal counsel of Siemens India, IYR Krishna Rao, the then chief secretary, and another IAS officer Sunitha.
Citing the probe findings, the CID stated several crores of rupees were deposited in cash in the bank accounts of TDP between 2018 and 2020. “Naidu admitted that he was the authorised signatory for these bank accounts but he demanded that he be shown the proof of the cash deposits made,” the CID informed the court.
Need to quiz Naidu on cash deposits: APCID tells court
“More entries of the large cash deposits and the connected bank statements have to be presented to the accused for questioning,’’ the CID informed the court. “Since the manner in which the conspiracy was organised and the involvement of others was in the exclusive knowledge of Naidu, his custody for another five days was needed,” the CID mentioned in its petition.
On the other hand, Naidu, in his bail plea, said attempts were being made to drag him into several offences and to add him as an accused in those cases. He sought the court to ascertain the call record details of the CID officials prior to his arrest. He urged the court to release him from custody to face the legal challenges effectively.
‘No need for Naidu to swindle public money’
Asserting that TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has no need to loot people’s money, his wife Nara Bhuvaneswari said, “Even if we sell two per cent shares of Heritage Foods, we will get Rs 400 crore. Why will Naidu resort to swindling Rs 371 crore?”
Participating in a protest taken up by women and local TDP leaders against the ‘illegal’ arrest of Naidu at Jaggampeta, Bhuvaneswari expressed confidence that Naidu will soon come out of jail with a clean chit and start working for the development of the State. “He has a 45-year-old impeccable political career, during which he served the people of the State,” she said.
Bhuvaneshwari, Brahmani meet Naidu
Later in the day, Bhuvaneswari and daughter-in-law Brahmani, along with TDP AP unit chief K Atchannaidu, met the former chief minister in the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison during Mulaqat. In a video message, she called the party her family and the cadre of her children.
Expressing concern over the lathi-charge on TDP activists, Bhuvaneswari said the way women, who took part in the protests, are being treated by this government reflects the kind of leadership the State has.
Bhuvaneswari thanked all those who have been standing by the TDP and its leadership. “Naidu, who was sent to jail in a false case, is not even provided with a table to have his meals. The table was provided only after the advocate made an appeal,” she stated. Accusing the State government of subjecting Naidu to mental agony, she said the TDP chief would not be intimidated by such cheap tactics.