New Delhi: The Supreme Court’s two-judge bench on Tuesday delivered a split verdict in a plea filed by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu seeking to quash FIR and criminal proceedings against him in the Skill Development scam case.
Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela Trivedi disagreed on the interpretation of Section 17A of the Prevention of the Corruption Act and referred the matter to the Chief Justice of India.
Naidu was arrested on September 9 last year for allegedly misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation when he was the CM in 2015, causing a purported loss of Rs 371 crore to the state exchequer. Naidu has denied the allegations.
In October 2023, the top court reserved its verdict after hearing both parties — Naidu and Andhra Pradesh government — on the question whether proceedings against the former CM could have been initiated without getting a sanction from the Governor of the state.