The judicial remand of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been extended until October 5, according to CID lawyer Y N Vivekananda. The extension order was issued by a court in Vijayawada.
This development follows a two-day interrogation conducted by a team of Andhra Pradesh Police CID officials regarding the Skill Development Corporation scam case. The Anti-Corruption Bureau Court had previously granted the CID two days' custody of the 73-year-old TDP chief for interrogation in this case.
During the interrogation, Naidu was permitted to consult his lawyer at regular intervals, and the proceedings took place from 9:30 AM to 5 PM on both days, with short breaks.
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Coastal Andhra Range DIG of Prisons M R Ravi Kiran explained that after completing their interrogation, CID officials returned Naidu to the jail authorities. Additionally, Naidu was virtually produced before the court at 5 PM through the 'Blue Jeans' app, as mandated by the Vijayawada ACB Court, PTI reported.
'Blue Jeans' is an app used to facilitate the online appearance of prisoners before courts.
While the two-day police custody and initial two-day extension of judicial remand have expired, Naidu will continue to remain in jail for the time being.
The court allowed the presence of three deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) from the Economic Offences Wing of the CID, accompanied by six junior police officers, one professional videographer, and two official mediators during the interrogation process. Additionally, Naidu was granted legal assistance at regular intervals.
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Considering the limited time available and the former chief minister's health and age, the court allowed the interrogation to take place on the jail premises, sparing Naidu from the approximately 200 km-long journey from Rajamahendravaram Central Prison to the CID office in Mangalagiri.
Naidu was initially arrested on September 9, on allegations of misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation, resulting in an alleged loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer.
