SC Defers AP’s Plea Against Bail To CM Chandrababu Naidu

Chandrababu Naidu

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the hearing on the Andhra Pradesh government’s appeal against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s bail in the skill development corporation scam case until January 2025.

The bench, comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and S.C. Sharma, deferred the matter after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the state government, requested the adjournment.

The bench emphasized that this would be the last opportunity and instructed the matter to be listed in the second week of January. The state government appealed to have Naidu’s bail set aside, citing his influence in allegedly helping 2 key associates, including a government official, flee the country.

The state argued that Naidu was obstructing the investigation and should not have been granted bail.

Naidu was granted bail on November 20, 2023, by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which ruled that bail should be exercised “judiciously in a humane and compassionate manner.”

However, the state government claimed the high court’s 39-page judgment effectively conducted a “mini trial” and made findings that were not supported by the facts of the case.

The appeal, filed by advocate Mahfooz Ahsan Nazki, argued that the high court’s detailed analysis of the evidence prejudiced the trial and exceeded its jurisdiction in a bail matter.

The high court had earlier converted Naidu’s four-week interim medical bail into full bail, considering his age, health issues, and non-flight risk. It also imposed conditions, including restrictions on public comments about the case and participation in rallies, which were to remain in effect until November 28 and were later relaxed.

The high court was not convinced by Naidu’s claims of political motivation behind the case.

Naidu was arrested on September 9 and released on interim medical bail on October 31, following accusations of misappropriating funds from the skill development corporation, allegedly causing a loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state.