The Court also heard the TDP leader’s plea to quash the FIR against him in the Andhra Pradesh skill development scam case.
On Friday, the Supreme Court sought a response from the Andhra Pradesh government regarding the anticipatory bail petition filed by former Chief Minister Narendra Chandrababu Naidu in connection with the Fibernet scam case.
This case is scheduled to be heard by a bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M. Trivedi on Tuesday.
On Monday, the Andhra Pradesh High Court denied bail in three separate cases brought against the former chief minister by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the State Police. These cases included the Fibernet fraud case, and the Supreme Court rejected the argument that the prosecution was politically motivated. Due to the gravity of the alleged offense, which reportedly resulted in a loss of 114 crores to the state treasury, and because the financial trail had not been fully investigated, the Court denied Naidu’s request for anticipatory bail.
The Bench is also aware of Naidu’s plea to quash the FIR filed against him in the Andhra Pradesh skill development scandal. The High Court had previously dismissed Naidu’s request, leading to an appeal to the Supreme Court. In this matter, Naidu is represented before the Supreme Court by a team of highly regarded attorneys.
Today, the parole petition and the FIR dismissal cases were heard concurrently. The bench noted that Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act was applicable in both instances. Section 17A of the Act mandates prior authorization before prosecuting a public servant for actions carried out in the course of official duties. The Supreme Court expressed concerns about the broad interpretation of this provision on October 9, emphasizing that it should not undermine the Act’s original intent.
Naidu’s legal team requested a stay on detention and production warrants until the Supreme Court’s next hearing on the Fibernet scam case. Subsequently, the state government’s legal counsel assured the court that they would request the trial court to postpone the case until Wednesday.
During today’s proceedings, senior advocates Harish Salve and Siddharth Luthra represented Naidu before the apex court, while Senior Counsel Mukul Rohatgi represented the Andhra Pradesh government.
