FiberNet scam: SC adjourns hearing on Chandrababu Naidu’s plea to Nov 30
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned hearing on Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s plea seeking anticipatory bail in the FibreNet case.
A bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi deferred the matter to November 30.
The court also said that the judgement in another petition filed by Naidu seeking quashing of criminal proceedings in the skill development case after the court's Diwali vacation.
"There is another petition by the same petitioner which has certain overlapping issues in which judgement has been reserved by this bench. Let the matter be listed for hearing on November 30," the bench said.
The top court had earlier asked the Andhra Pradesh Police not to arrest Naidu in the FibreNet case till it delivers its verdict on the plea in the skill development scam case. The undertaking will continue till the next hearing.
On October 20, the Supreme Court had adjourned the hearing till November 9 in the case.
The special leave petition has been filed before the apex court against a decision of the Andhra Pradesh High Court refusing anticipatory bail to the political leader.
Earlier in October, the Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on another plea by Naidu seeking quashing of an FIR in connection with the Skill Development scam case while refusing to release him on interim bail.
However, on October 31, a bench of Justice T. Mallikarjuna Rao of the High Court had granted interim bail to the former CM till November 28 for his treatment including cataract surgery.
Naidu is accused of playing a 'key role' in the AP FiberNet scam that took place during the TDP government in the state. The CID has accused him of exerting pressure on officials to favour a certain company that was awarded the FiberNet contract.
Naidu was arrested on September 9 for allegedly misappropriating funds from the skill development corporation when he was the chief minister in 2015, causing a purported loss of Rs 371 crore to the state exchequer.
He is under judicial remand in the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison.
With inputs from agencies