The Andhra Pradesh High Court has approved regular bail for TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the Skill Development Corporation scam case. The court converted his earlier four-week interim medical bail into absolute bail, paving the way for his release on regular bail, as reported by PTI.
In its order, the court stated, "The interim bail granted to A37 (Naidu) dated October 31 is made absolute, and the petitioner (Naidu) is ordered to be released on regular bail on the bail bond already furnished by him." However, certain conditions from the interim bail, such as refraining from public comments on the Skill Development Corporation scam case and avoiding participation in public events, will remain in effect until November 28. The court indicated that these restrictions would be relaxed starting November 29.
Furthermore, the High Court instructed Naidu to submit his medical reports to the Special Court in Vijayawada by November 28, as opposed to the earlier requirement of providing them to the Superintendent of Rajamahendravaram central prison.
The decision comes after prolonged arguments presented on November 16 by Additional Advocate General (AAG) P Sudhakar Reddy for the Andhra Pradesh Police Crime Investigation Department (CID) and Supreme Court lawyer Siddarth Luthra representing Naidu. Notably, Naidu had recently undergone cataract surgery at L V Prasad Hospital in Hyderabad.
Naidu's arrest on September 9 was related to allegations of misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation, leading to an alleged loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer. His initial release on interim medical bail on October 31 has now been upgraded to regular bail by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
