The Andhra Pradesh High Court has granted bail to former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the skill development case. The court’s decision follows arguments made by TDP legal team advocate Siddarth Luthra on behalf of Naidu. The former CM had previously been released on interim bail until November 28, and the high court has now granted him regular bail in the case.
On September 9, Naidu was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the multi-crore skill development fraud case. His detention triggered political upheaval in the state, with TDP officials claiming a politically driven “witch-hunt” based on bogus claims.
Naidu was granted temporary bail till November 28 earlier this month. His release from Rajahmundry jail on October 31 was based on temporary bail granted by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Apart from the skill development case, Naidu is accused of graft in two other cases: the Fibernet scandal and the Inner Ring Road scam. The FiberNet case concerns allegations of tender manipulation in the Andhra Pradesh FiberNet Project, which resulted in claimed irregularities and financial loss to the state exchequer.