The Andhra Pradesh government filed a petition with the Supreme Court on Tuesday challenging the high court's decision to grant regular bail to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the Skill Development Corporation scam case.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court, on November 20, released Naidu on bail, emphasizing the need for judicious and compassionate exercise of discretion in such matters.
The state government in its appeal said, "The state of Andhra Pradesh is constrained to file the present Special Leave Petition against the impugned judgment dated November 20, 2023 passed by the High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati..., where the High Court, in a bail matter, has delved deep into facts of the case and has rendered findings that are not only factually incorrect but are also likely to prejudice the court below during the trial."
The High Court transformed Naidu's temporary four-week medical bail in the case into a permanent one, directing the release of the former chief minister on regular bail. This decision took into account factors such as his age, age-related health issues, non-flight risk, and other relevant considerations.
Notably, the TDP chief underwent cataract surgery at L V Prasad Hospital in Hyderabad. He had been arrested on September 9 and was initially granted interim medical bail on October 31, a status that has now been upgraded to regular bail.
Naidu was arrested for allegedly misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation, which resulted in a purported loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer.
