Andhra Pradesh High Court grants interim bail to former CM N Chandrababu Naidu in skill development case

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the skill development program scam case..Justice T Mallikarjun Rao granted interim bail to Naidu for four weeks on medical grounds."With a humanitarian perspective in mind and considering the petitioner's health condition, this Court is inclined to grant temporary bail on health grounds to the petitioner/A.37 (Naidu), enabling him to undergo the required surgery on his right eye," the order stated..The Court opined that there was no remote possibility that the former CM would evade the judicial process or pose a flight risk.It said that the health and well-being of an individual was the foremost consideration, irrespective of the gravity of the alleged offence. "It's important to recognize that custody during the investigative phase should not be perceived as punitive...The exercise of discretion in granting interim bail on medical grounds should not be restricted to circumstances where the person's life is in immediate peril," the Court remarked..The High Court had on September 22 dismissed the quashing plea by tje former Chief Minister.Justice K Sreenivasa Reddy had observed that the acts alleged against Naidu could not be said to be in good faith and in discharge of his official duties as Chief Minister.Therefore, no prior approval from the competent authority was necessary for investigation into the offences alleged, the High Court had held. .The investigation against Naidu centres around a scheme that allegedly diverted government funds intended for a skill development project into various shell companies through fraudulent invoices, which did not correspond with the delivery of services.He was arrested and later remanded to judicial custody in the matter on September 10..[Read Order]

Andhra Pradesh High Court grants interim bail to former CM N Chandrababu Naidu in skill development case

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