A local court situated in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, has extended the judicial custody of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu in connection with the Skill Development Corporation scam case. This extension is effective until October 5, following the conclusion of both his initial judicial remand and police custody.
The court's decision followed a comprehensive two-day interrogation of Naidu conducted by officials from the Andhra Pradesh Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison. Y N Vivekananda, the Special Public Prosecutor representing the CID, has confirmed that the judicial remand for Naidu has been extended by the Vijayawada Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court until October 5. This extension was deemed necessary as his two-day police custody concluded on Sunday, at 5 pm.
It has been indicated that the CID is likely to file a separate petition on Monday, seeking to continue Naidu's custody for further questioning. Simultaneously, Naidu's bail application, along with two additional CID prisoner transit (PT) warrant petitions pertaining to the AP FiberNet and Amaravati Inner Ring Road cases, are scheduled for consideration on Monday.
In parallel, Naidu has already approached the Supreme Court regarding his involvement in the Skill Development Corporation Scam case.
Previously, the Anti-Corruption Bureau Court had granted the CID two days of custody for the 73-year-old TDP leader for the purpose of interrogation in this case. This custody period concluded on Sunday. In accordance with the court's orders, Naidu's questioning by CID officials was permitted between 9:30 AM and 5 PM on both days, September 23 and 24. He was granted regular five-minute breaks to consult with his legal counsel.
Following the interrogation, Coastal Andhra Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Prisons, M R Ravi Kiran, reported that CID officials handed Naidu back to the prison authorities. Furthermore, the former chief minister was virtually presented before the court via the 'Blue Jeans' app at 5 p.m., as mandated by the Vijayawada ACB Court. 'Blue Jeans' is an application used to facilitate online court appearances for prisoners.
The two-day police custody and the subsequent two-day extension of judicial remand have culminated in the extension of Naidu's remand until October 5.
During the interrogation, the court had permitted the presence of three Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) from the CID's Economic Offences Wing, accompanied by six junior police officers, a professional videographer, and two official mediators. Additionally, a team of lawyers was allowed to assist Naidu at intervals of five minutes after every hour of questioning.
Considering the constraints of time, as well as Naidu's health and age, the court had granted permission for the questioning to take place on the jail premises itself. This decision was made to avoid the arduous journey of nearly 200 kilometers from Rajamahendravaram Central Prison to the CID office in Mangalagiri.
Naidu's arrest on September 9 stemmed from allegations of misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation, which purportedly resulted in a substantial loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer.
