Former Chief Minister and TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu submitted personal bonds of ₹1,00,000 each and two sureties for a like sum each on being granted anticipatory bail by the High Court in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road (IRR) alignment, sand mining and liquor scam cases, at the CID regional offices in Vijayawada and Guntur and the CID office at Tadepalli in Guntur district.
While giving the bail on January 10, Justice T. Mallikarjuna Rao imposed the conditions that Mr. Naidu should appear before the investigating officers whenever his presence is required (with a minimum of 48 hours’ notice), refrain (directly or indirectly) from making any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the cases in order to dissuade him / her from disclosing such facts to the court or the police officers concerned, and abstain from making any public comments related to the cases.
Also read: News Analysis | Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest: A knee-jerk reaction or a planned strategy?
It may be noted that Mr. Naidu, who was the Chairman of the AP Capital Region Development Authority, P. Narayana, former Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development and CRDA Vice-Chairman, and some others were accused of finalising the designs of the IRR and modifying the Amaravati zonal development plans in collusion with public servants and some private persons with corrupt motives.
As far as the sand mining case is concerned, Mr. Naidu and the co-accused have been charged with committing certain irregularities in the implementation of the ‘free sand policy’ that caused a substantial loss to the State exchequer during the TDP regime. Mr. Naidu contested it, saying that the allegations contained in the CID FIR were sweeping and documentary in nature and based on the mere interpretation of some government orders.
The liquor case pertains to the alleged issue of letters of intent to some distilleries through the State Beverages Corporation contrary to the recommendations of a high-level government committee.
