'Central Jail Is Safe Place For Him': ACB Court In Vijayawada As It Rejects Former AP CM Chandrababu Naidu's Home Arrest Plea

The plea for house arrest by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was dismissed by the ACB Court in Vijayawada on Tuesday (12 September).

The court was convinced that the central jail at Rajamahendravaram, with the tight security provided by the State government, would be a safe place for him.

As a result, the CID is now expected to press for his custody on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Naidu's advocates filed a lunch motion petition in the High Court challenging the legality of his arrest. The petition is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday.

The court rejected Naidu's house arrest petition based on the State's submission that there was no threat to his safety. The State argued that the central jail, which had been converted into a heavily fortified structure, was impregnable.

The room assigned to Naidu has been transformed into a barrack and will be under constant surveillance by armed guards.

Medical facilities and medicines were prepared in advance, and even home-made food was allowed, demonstrating that the government took responsibility for Naidu's safety, according to P. Sudhakar Reddy, the Additional Advocate General (AAG).

In response to the question that why Naidu's name wasn't mentioned in the FIR, Reddy explained that the name of individuals who aid a crime is revealed during the investigation process, not necessarily at the time of filing the FIR.

Regarding the presence of policemen at Naidu's campsite in Nandyal at midnight, it was clarified that this was a surveillance measure and did not violate the arrest procedure outlined in Section 46 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Chandrababu Naidu did not receive any relief as the court ordered a 14-day judicial remand.

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra's arguments regarding possible security lapses were dismissed by the judge, who found the prosecution's claims regarding Naidu's safety to be satisfactory.

Naidu stands accused of being the mastermind behind a multi-crore scandal that allegedly occurred in the AP State Skill Development Corporation between 2014 and 2019, during the tenure of his party TDP.