<p>Hyderabad: An Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court in Vijayawada on Monday approved a petition by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) to close a high-profile case against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for his alleged role in misappropriating funds from the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC). The so-called Skill Development Scam was said to have caused over Rs 300 crore in losses to the state exchequer.</p><p>Naidu, then an opposition leader, was named as an accused alongside others during the YSRCP regime. He spent about 50 days in Rajamahendravaram Central Prison after his arrest on September 9, 2023 when YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy was chief minister before the Andhra High Court granted him bail on October 31, 2023.</p><p>The case involved setting up clusters of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) with a total project cost of Rs 3,300 crore. At the time, then-CID chief N Sanjay claimed the investigation implicated Naidu and the TDP as beneficiaries of the alleged misappropriation.</p>.MGNREGA was 'guarantee of loot', no scope for even Rs 1 corruption in VB-G RAM G: Kiren Rijiju.<p>However, the CID later found no evidence against Naidu. In its petition, it described the case registration as a "mistake of fact" and sought closure. After hearing arguments on January 12, the ACB court accepted the submission, ordering the case closed against Naidu and 36 others.</p><p>The opposition YSRCP condemned the decision, accusing Naidu of influencing agencies to shut cases against him. Speaking to media on Tuesday, former minister Kurasala Kannababu said Naidu was setting a dangerous precedent by weakening probes under the guise of factual errors. "Though he went to jail in the Skill Development case, it was closed along with seven others because the government fears YS Jagan Mohan Reddy raising these issues publicly," he added. The party vowed to pursue legal recourse.</p><p>YSRCP PAC Member and former Minister Sake Sailajanath strongly condemned the closure of the Skill Development Scam case against Naidu, calling it unconstitutional, dangerous, and a direct assault on democratic institutions. Speaking to the media at the YSRCP office in Anantapur, he said Chandrababu Naidu is using the cover of power to systematically erase the criminal cases registered against himself. </p>
<p>Hyderabad: An Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court in Vijayawada on Monday approved a petition by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) to close a high-profile case against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for his alleged role in misappropriating funds from the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC). The so-called Skill Development Scam was said to have caused over Rs 300 crore in losses to the state exchequer.</p><p>Naidu, then an opposition leader, was named as an accused alongside others during the YSRCP regime. He spent about 50 days in Rajamahendravaram Central Prison after his arrest on September 9, 2023 when YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy was chief minister before the Andhra High Court granted him bail on October 31, 2023.</p><p>The case involved setting up clusters of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) with a total project cost of Rs 3,300 crore. At the time, then-CID chief N Sanjay claimed the investigation implicated Naidu and the TDP as beneficiaries of the alleged misappropriation.</p>.MGNREGA was 'guarantee of loot', no scope for even Rs 1 corruption in VB-G RAM G: Kiren Rijiju.<p>However, the CID later found no evidence against Naidu. In its petition, it described the case registration as a "mistake of fact" and sought closure. After hearing arguments on January 12, the ACB court accepted the submission, ordering the case closed against Naidu and 36 others.</p><p>The opposition YSRCP condemned the decision, accusing Naidu of influencing agencies to shut cases against him. Speaking to media on Tuesday, former minister Kurasala Kannababu said Naidu was setting a dangerous precedent by weakening probes under the guise of factual errors. "Though he went to jail in the Skill Development case, it was closed along with seven others because the government fears YS Jagan Mohan Reddy raising these issues publicly," he added. The party vowed to pursue legal recourse.</p><p>YSRCP PAC Member and former Minister Sake Sailajanath strongly condemned the closure of the Skill Development Scam case against Naidu, calling it unconstitutional, dangerous, and a direct assault on democratic institutions. Speaking to the media at the YSRCP office in Anantapur, he said Chandrababu Naidu is using the cover of power to systematically erase the criminal cases registered against himself. </p>