SC reserves verdict on ex-AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu’s plea against HC order

The Supreme Court reserved its verdict on Tuesday regarding the petition of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP Supremo, N Chandrababu Naidu. He is challenging the High Court’s decision that refused to quash the FIR lodged against him in the Skill Development Corporation scam case.
A bench, comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi, reserved its verdict after listening to submissions from senior advocate Harish Salve, who represented Naidu, and Mukul Rohatgi, who represented the state government.
Previously, on September 9, Naidu, 73, was arrested for allegedly misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation during his tenure as chief minister in 2015. This purportedly resulted in a loss of Rs 371 crore to the state exchequer.
He is currently under judicial remand and is being held in the Rajamahendravaram central prison.
In its remand report, the CID alleged that Naidu “participated in a criminal conspiracy with intentions of fraudulent misappropriation or the conversion of government funds for his personal use. This included disposal of property under the control of a public servant, as well as engaging in cheating, forging documents, and destroying evidence”. However, on September 22, the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed his petition, stating that criminal proceedings should not be halted at the initial stage. They emphasised that quashing an FIR should be viewed as an exception rather than a norm.