The Andhra Pradesh Government has filed a counter affidavit in the High Court in response to former MP Undavalli Arun Kumar’s Public Interest Litigation (PIL). Kumar had requested a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the skill development scam. The government has agreed to hand over the case to these central agencies.
On October 13, the Andhra Pradesh High Court ordered notices to be issued to 44 respondents, including former Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and TDP State president K Atchennaidu. However, some respondents refused to receive the notices. The court directed the petitioner to complete the process and scheduled further hearing in two weeks.
The Counsel for the AP Government stated that they preferred the central investigation agencies to handle the skill scam, assigned land scam, and Fibernet scam. The government also mentioned that the CBI was free to investigate scams anywhere in the state.
In its counter, the government explained that the skill scam involved money laundering and accused the respondents of being involved. The CID had already begun an investigation into the assigned land scam under the Capital Region Development Authority in 2020. The government consented to a CBI inquiry into these scams and released relevant Government Orders.
The State Government’s Advocate General, S Sriram, assured that they were fully prepared to respond to the former MP’s PIL. Meanwhile, the petitioner’s Senior Advocate, KG Krishna Murthy, requested permission from the court to send notices through alternative means such as social media and paper advertisement, as many notices were not delivered to the intended recipients.
