A court in Vijayawada on Tuesday approved the petition filed by Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (A.P.-CID) to close the A.P. State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) case against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and other accused.
Mr. Naidu was the Leader of Opposition when he was arrested by the CID on September 9, 2023, for his alleged role in the misappropriation of funds of APSSDC and the CID had then put the loss to the exchequer at ₹371 crore.
The case was registered during the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) regime and Mr. Naidu was named Accused Number 37 in the case. Mr. Naidu was lodged at the Rajamahendravaram Central prison for nearly 50 days before being granted bail by the court.
In the 2024 elections, Mr. Naidu-led NDA government backed by BJP and Jana Sena Party (JSP) came to power and the CID later filed a petition seeking closure of the case. The CID, in its petition, described the registration of case as a ‘mistake of fact’.
In its orders issued on January 12, the ACB court in Vijayawada accepted the submission of the CID. The orders of the court read, “In the result, the final report filed by the CID in Cr No 29/2021 is ACCEPTED. The proceedings are closed as ‘MISTAKE OF FACT’ against all the accused.”
Taking strong exception to the development, YSRCP PAC member and former Minister Sake Sailajanath strongly condemned the closure of the case against Mr. Naidu, calling it unconstitutional, dangerous, and a direct assault on democratic institutions.
Speaking to the media in Anantapur, he claimed Mr. Naidu was using power to systematically erase the criminal cases registered against him.
Mr. Sailajanath alleged that in the Skill Development Scam, ₹371 crore of public money was diverted through shell companies and Central agencies including the Enforcement Directorate had filed cases, arrested accused, and seized assets.
He appealed to the Governor and the High Court to intervene immediately to protect institutions and the rule of law, and made it clear that YSRCP would continue its legal fight against the closure of these cases.
Curated by Shiv Shakti Mishra
