Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Telugu Desam Party chief and former chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu in the alleged scam in Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation for four weeks.
After reserving its judgment on Monday on his bail petition on grounds of deteriorating health, the High Court granted on Tuesday Chandrababu Naidu four weeks of interim bail until November 24.
The High Court directed Naidu to surrender on November 24. The HC has directed Naidu not to participate in any other activity except to seek treatment at a hospital. The court also directed Naidu not to use or talk on the phone, and not to participate in any political activity or speak to the media.
Naidu, who was arrested on September 9, has been in jail for 53 days. His main bail petition has been posted for hearing on November 10.
TDP sources said it may take a day or two for all formalities to be completed for Naidu to be released from jail. He is likely to return to his home in Hyderabad for a brief rest before he hits the ground again and addresses a few public meetings.
Naidu’s wife Bhuvaneswari and son Lokesh had raised concerns about the health of the 72-year-old TDP supremo, saying the hot and humid conditions in Naidu’s jail cell contributed to his overall deterioration of health and aggravation of a skin infection.
In Naidu’s absence, his wife Bhuvaneswari had started a bus yatra last week demanding justice. His son Lokesh Naidu also halted his hugely popular and successful Yuva Galam padayatra but said he would resume it shortly.
After Naidu’s incarceration, Jana Sena Party’s (JSP) chief K Pawan Kalyan decided to tie up with the TDP for the 2024 elections, sidelining the existing alliance with BJP in Andhra Pradesh.
As Naidu remained in jail, he had also decided not to contest the Telangana Assembly elections to be held next month, leading to the resignation of the state TDP chief Kasani Gyaneswar Mudiraj in protest. In Andhra Pradesh, all TDP activities came to a standstill as Naidu and senior party leaders grappled with the legal troubles.
On Monday, the Andhra Pradesh CID had filed yet another case against Naidu, alleging he and his government gave permissions illegally to liquor companies. Naidu has been named as accused number 3 in the FIR filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CID filed a petition in the Anti-Corruption Bureau Court regarding the new case. The FIR was registered on the complaint filed by D Vasudeva Reddy, Commissioner of AP Beverages Corporation, and former minister Kollu Ravindra and are also named. The FIR states that Naidu and others caused a loss of Rs 1,300 crore to the state by removing fees payable by bars in 2016.
Naidu was arrested by the CID in the alleged skill development corporation scam on September 9 and has been in judicial custody in the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison since then.
