The ACB court in Vijayawada rejected the two warrants filed by the APCID seeking interrogation of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the fibenet and Amaravati inner ring road alignment. As Naidu is on regular bail, there is no need for the interrogation in the two cases, the court said.
The CID had filed the two warrants in the court when Chandrababu Naidu was in Rajamahendravaram central jail. The CID wanted to question Chandrababu Naidu in the two cases before filing the chargesheet.
However, the AP high court had given regular bail to Chandrababu Naidu on November 20. He is on regular bail from November 29 as the interim bail expired on November 28. The court had also permitted him to participate in political meetings, rallies and other programmes.
The CID had alleged that Chandrababu Naidu, his cabinet colleagues P Narayana and Nara Lokesh had changed the alignment of the Amaravati inner ring road in 2015-16 to benefit industrialist Lingamaneni Ramesh.
It is said that Ramesh has over 1500 acres of land that passes through the inner ring road. Considering this, the ministers have changed the road alignment giving exemption to Ramesh and his lands, the CID alleged.
This was done in return to Ramesh giving his guest house on the banks of river Krishna to Chandrababu Naidu for his official residence when he was the chief minister. Chandrababu Naidu continues to live in the same guest house even after defeat in the 2019 general election.
In the fibernet case also, Chandrababu Naidu’s decision had cost Rs 114 crore loss to the exchequer. It was alleged that Chandrababu Naidu manipulated the tender process in the first phase of the project worth Rs 330 crore to the advantage of Terra Soft company, which was blacklisted by the state government.
It was also alleged that Chandrababu Naidu lifted the ban on the Terra Soft company and those officers who opposed this were transferred and those who supported were given prime posts, the CID alleged.