Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu on November 7 (Tuesday) filed a petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, seeking anticipatory bail in the sand mining case, in which he is held responsible for certain irregularities in the implementation of the ‘free sand policy’ that caused a substantial loss to the State exchequer during the TDP regime.
Peethala Sujatha, the then Minister for Mines and Geology has been named A-1 in the case followed by Mr. Naidu (A-2) and others including former Minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao and former MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar.
Mr. Naidu, in his petition, contended that all decisions related to the sand policy were collectively taken by the then Cabinet and that he was being targeted selectively as a part of a ‘regime revenge’ plan.
He claimed that the FIR registered by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (APCID) under the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988 (PCA) is based on a ‘predetermined contour’ that certain changes were made to the sand policy to favour some individuals and companies. This is evident from the lack of mention of the name of any specific entity in the FIR.
The preliminary inquiry has drawn conclusions from selective references to the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), and there was no independent verification of the policy, alleged the former Chief Minister.
Mr. Naidu sought to invoke protection under Section 17-A of the PCA, while insisting that the FIR is malicious in intent and a result of the ‘weaponisation’ of the State machinery to target him for cornering the present government on various issues.
All allegations contained in the FIR are sweeping and documentary in nature, and are based on the mere interpretation of some government orders, Mr. Naidu claimed, while making due mention of the fact that he was availing medical bail granted in the skill development scam case till November 28.
Meanwhile, Justice T. Mallikarjuna Rao of the High Court adjourned Mr. Naidu’s anticipatory bail petition in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road case to November 22.
