The former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and leader of the TDP, N Chandrababu Naidu, was granted four weeks of interim release on health grounds by the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday in relation to the skill development case.
The former chief minister needs cataract surgery, according to Naidu’s legal representative. PTI claims that the court also extended his standard bail plea till November 10.
The TDP chief was instructed by the bench to provide a ₹1 lakh bail bond with two sureties. The court’s order stated, “He shall get himself examined and treated at a hospital of his choice at his expense.”
Telugu Desam Party spokesperson K Pattabhi Ram told ANI that Naidu will be released today.
“We all know that the health of Chandrababu Naidu has been deteriorating over the past few days, and the doctors also have advised immediate eye surgery and immediate hospitalization…” Ram said.
In relation to the alleged ₹3,300 crore Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) fraud, which allegedly occurred during Naidu’s tenure as Andhra chief minister, he was detained on September 9.
The police showed up at Naidu’s house that day at around three in the morning. Due to the massive protests from his party members, they were unable to arrest him. After about three hours, he was taken into custody.
The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Andhra Pradesh Police has opened an investigation into the case in March of this year. Based on the declarations of an accused turned approver and the depositions of three IAS officers, the investigation was launched in response to letters served to former Indian Railway Traffic Service officer Arja Srikanth, who held the position of chief executive officer (CEO) of the APSSDC in 2016.
The APSSDC was established in 2016 with the goal of empowering young people without jobs and improving their employability via skill development.
The CID investigation claims that a ₹3,300 crore memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project was signed by the Chandrababu Naidu administration. In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding, Siemens Industry Software India Ltd. and Design Tech Systems Pvt Ltd.
Six centres of excellence for talent development were to be established by Siemens Industry Software India Ltd. About ten percent of the project’s overall expenditure was expected to come from the Andhra government. The remaining cash would be given as grants-in-aid by the two firms.
According to a CID investigation, the project was started without using the conventional tendering procedure. It is said that the project was not approved by the state cabinet.
According to the CID investigation, Siemens Industry Software India failed to commit any of its own funds to the project and instead gave large sums of the ₹371 crore the government had allotted to other shell firms. According to the CID, cash intended for the project were diverted to shell firms.
Siemens Global Corporate Office launched an internal investigation into the project in response to the heat, and found that the project manager had embezzled government-allocated funds to shell businesses through hawala transactions.
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