Arrested former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Chief N. Chandrababu Naidu’s anticipatory bail petitions in three cases were dismissed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday.
The bench headed by Justice Suresh Reddy passed the orders.
The cases are the Amaravati Inner Ring Road scam case, the AP FibreNet scandal case and the Angallu violence case in the Annamayya district.
Naidu is currently in judicial custody in Skill Development Scam while the Crime Investigation Department (CID) is seeking his custody for questioning in the Inner Ring Road and FibreNet case.
Andhra Pradesh High Court on September 26 had reserved its orders on Naidu’s anticipatory bail petition in the Angallu violence case.
Naidu and other leaders of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were booked for an attempt to murder by the police in connection with the violent incidents that occurred in Angallu village in Annamaya district on August 4.
The incidents at Angallu and in Punganur town in the Chittoor district occurred when the TDP chief was visiting the region to see the status of irrigation projects.
During the hearing, Naidu’s lawyer P. Venkateshwarlu argued that a false case was booked against him. He said leaders of the ruling party YSR Congress attacked the TDP men during Naidu’s visit. He submitted to the court that NSG commandos protected Naidu during the stone pelting by the ruling party leaders.
Naidu’s counsel also brought to the court’s notice that several persons named accused in the case were already released on bail. Earlier the High Court granted bail to 79 leaders of TDP in the Punganur and Angallu violence cases.
Another 30 TDP leaders, including Naidu, have filed anticipatory bail petitions in these two cases. On August 9, police booked Naidu and other TDP leaders for an attempt to murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy in connection with the Angallu incidents.
Chandrababu Naidu has been named accused number one in the FIR registered at Mudivedu police station.
The development is seen as a setback to Naidu and Telugu Desam party. Advocate Krishna Murthy stated to the media that the Andhra Pradesh High Court had rejected the bail petition of Naidu in cases pertaining to cases in connection with the inner ring road, fibre net scams and the Angallu rioting case in Annamayya district.
The High Court had rejected two regular petitions on technical grounds. The High Court opined that in the fibre net scam case, the bail could not be granted as it is in the final stages of the investigation.
Naidu was arrested in a skill development scandal case. His advocate argued that regular bail could be granted to him in other cases when he is arrested in another case and sent to judicial custody. However, the court refused to accept the argument. The agencies maintained that his judicial custody in another case cannot be considered as deemed custody in other cases for granting regular bail.