Andhra Pradesh's CID files fourth case against Chandrababu Naidu on liquor licensing allegations

Andhra Pradesh's Crime Investigation Department (CID) has taken yet another legal action against Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Chief Chandrababu Naidu, this time concerning allegations of granting "illegal permissions" to liquor companies operating within the state. The recent case has led to Naidu being included as accused number 3 and falls under the purview of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

The CID officially lodged a petition in the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court, which has granted permission for this latest CID action. Remarkably, this marks the fourth case filed against Naidu by the CID.

Currently, Chandrababu Naidu finds himself in judicial custody at the Rajamahendravaram central prison, facing accusations of financial misappropriation linked to the Skill Development Corporation. These allegations are estimated to have resulted in a substantial loss of more than Rs 300 crore to the state treasury.

On the same day, the High Court rejected three bail petitions filed by the Telugu Desam Party chief, with each case representing a distinct charge brought by the CID. Naidu had sought regular bail petitions in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road and Angallu attack cases, as well as an anticipatory bail petition in the FiberNet case.

The Amaravati Inner Ring Road case centers around allegations of "manipulating" the master plan of Amaravati's capital city, along with the alignment of the inner ring road and the seed capital. These purported actions are believed to have unjustly enriched multiple companies during Naidu's tenure.

In contrast, the Angallu case pertains to the disturbances that took place during a political rally led by the TDP chief in August of this year.

Meanwhile, the FiberNet case concerns allegations of tampering with tenders related to the assignment of a work order for Phase-1 of the AP FiberNet Project, valued at Rs 330 crore, in favor of a specific company.