Chandrababu Naidu granted 4 weeks’ interim bail by High Court in corruption case

The Andhra Pradesh High Court granted interim bail for four weeks to former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu in connection with the multi-crore Skill Development Corporation Scam case. The High Court's decision to grant bail to Naidu was based on health grounds.

Chandrababu Naidu has been facing a series of legal challenges in recent weeks. On October 30, the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) initiated another legal action against the prominent political figure, this time involving allegations of granting "illegal permissions" to liquor companies operating within the state. This recent case has led to Naidu being included as accused number 3 and falls under the purview of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

The CID formally lodged a petition in the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court, which subsequently granted permission for this latest CID action. Remarkably, this marks the fourth case filed against Naidu by the CID in recent times.

Presently, Chandrababu Naidu finds himself in judicial custody at the Rajamahendravaram central prison, facing accusations of financial misappropriation linked to the Skill Development Corporation. These allegations are estimated to have resulted in a substantial loss of more than Rs 300 crore to the state treasury.

On the same day, the High Court rejected three bail petitions filed by the Telugu Desam Party chief, with each case representing a distinct charge brought by the CID. Naidu had sought regular bail petitions in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road and Angallu attack cases, as well as an anticipatory bail petition in the FiberNet case.