Skill Development Scam: SC Directs Naidu to Mention Plea on Tuesday

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the counsel for former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to present his plea seeking the quashing of the FIR filed against him in the skill development scam case on September 26.

During the hearing, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Naidu, attempted to request an urgent hearing for the plea, which was not on the mentioning list. However, the bench instructed him to mention it the following day.

Luthra informed the bench that the case pertains to Andhra Pradesh, where the opposition is facing restrictions.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, stated, “Come tomorrow in the mentioning list.”

Naidu has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s decision on September 22 to reject his plea to quash the FIR. He seeks the quashing of the FIR, which was registered by AP-CID in connection with the alleged Rs 371 crore skill development scam, on the grounds that the police did not obtain prior sanction from the Governor, as required by the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

In his plea, Naidu argues that the Andhra Pradesh High Court disregarded his assertion that Section 17A of the PC Act, effective from July 26, 2018, prohibits the registration of an FIR against a public servant without the prior sanction of the appropriate authority. The FIR against Naidu was filed on December 9, 2021, and he was named as accused number 37 in the case on September 7, 2023.

The plea states that Section 17A of the PC Act was not adhered to since “no permission was obtained from the competent authority.” Given that Naidu was the Chief Minister at the time of the alleged offense related to the skill development scam, the competent authority would have been the Governor of the state.

Naidu, who is currently the Leader of the Opposition and the national president of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), characterizes the action against him as “an orchestrated campaign of regime revenge and an attempt to undermine the largest opposition party, the Telugu Desam Party.”

The plea also highlights the political motivations behind the actions, particularly the request for police custody on September 11, 2023, which implicates the TDP and the petitioner’s family. This campaign of harassment continues unabated despite glaring irregularities in the FIR, the appeal contends.

Meanwhile, N Chandrababu Naidu remains in judicial custody at Rajamahendravaram Central Prison, with his remand extended until October 5. Andhra Pradesh Police CID officials completed their two-day questioning of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the Skill Development Corporation scam case on Sunday at the prison.