Justice K. Sreenivasa Reddy of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on September 19 reserved judgment on the petition filed by former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu seeking that the FIR filed by the A.P. Crime Investigation Department (CID) in the ‘skill development scam’ case be quashed and the judicial remand granted by the ACB Court in Vijayawada be cancelled.
With the judgment kept in reserve, the fate of Mr. Naidu, who is accused of playing a key role in the case and is currently lodged in the Rajahmundry Central Prison, hangs in the balance.
An intense courtroom battle took place through the day as former Solicitor General of India Harish Salve mounted a scathing attack on the Government of Andhra Pradesh basically on the ground that no permission was granted by the State Governor under Section 17(A) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, to investigate Mr. Naidu’s alleged complicity in the scam.