Justice T Mallikarjun Rao granted interim bail to Naidu for four weeks on medical grounds.
On Tuesday, the Andhra Pradesh High Court approved the request for interim bail by former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the case related to the alleged fraud in the skill development program.
Justice T. Mallikarjun Rao granted Naidu a temporary release for a period of four weeks, citing medical reasons.
In a significant development last month, the Supreme Court had declined to dismiss the initial information report (FIR) lodged against Naidu.
The investigation primarily revolves around allegations of diverting government funds, originally designated for a skill development initiative, to fictitious companies through fraudulent invoices that did not correspond to the services rendered. Naidu was taken into custody on September 10 and subsequently placed in judicial custody in connection with this case.
Earlier in September, the High Court had rejected Naidu’s plea to quash the case, with Justice K. Sreenivasa Reddy opining that the actions attributed to Chief Minister Naidu did not appear to be in good faith or related to the performance of his official duties. Consequently, the Supreme Court had ruled that no prior authorization from the competent authority was required to investigate the alleged offenses.
