The latest submission made by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Andhra Pradesh police department in the state high court that the government had no objection to handing over the skill development case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has triggered an interesting debate.
During the hearing on a public interesting litigation (PIL) petition filed by former MP Vundavalli Arun Kumar, Advocate General S Sriram informed the high court that the government had constituted a SIT and a cabinet sub-committee to review the decision of the previous government, which was challenged by the opposition TDP leaders.
During the hearing of the petitions, the government sought a probe by the CBI into the decisions of the previous government, but the single-judge bench refused to add the Centre as a respondent.
When the same was challenged, the Supreme Court asked the high court to continue the probe and add the Centre as a respondent, he said.
The bench asked the AG to file a counter that it does not have any objection to handing over the probe to the CBI. It asked the AG to approach the Chief Justice in this regard and posted the matter for hearing on November 29.
If the high court entrusts the skill development case to the CBI as the state government doesn’t have any objection, the case will slip out of the CID. Even the arrest of Naidu or granting him bail would be dealt by the CBI and the state government would have nothing to do.
As everybody knows, the CBI will take its own sweet time to take up and continue the probe. It could not do anything with Jagan Mohan Reddy’s case or the Vivekananda Reddy murder case or even Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader Kalvakuntla Kavitha’s case.
In such a scenario, there is every possibility that the TDP chief can get the bail if he or his party people can manage the Centre somehow. Even Naidu’s sister-in-law Daggubati Purandeshwari can use her clout with the Centre to see that Naidu could remain out of jail.
Unless the CBI takes up the case seriously and the BJP central leadership is hell bent on prosecuting Naidu and sending him to jail, the skill development case against Naidu will meet a dead-end, say analysts.