In a rude shock to Telugu Desam Party government in Andhra Pradesh headed by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the Supreme Court on Friday strongly reprimanded the government for selling the controversial Sadavarthi lands at a cheap rate.
A division bench headed by Supreme Court chief justice found fault with the Naidu government for auctioning the 83.11 acres pf Sadavarthi lands near Chennai in Tamil Nadu for just Rs 22 crore in the first auction held last year.
“How could the same lands fetch Rs 60.30 crore when auctioned for the second time early this month? Why is so much difference in short span of a few months? It clearly shows the government sought to sell the lands at a cheap rate to the bidders closer to the ruling party,” the chief justice observed.
The court made it clear that it would not keep quiet if public properties were sold at a cheaper rate, compared to the market prices. He also dismissed the petition of the Tamil Nadu government that the lands belongs to it as they are located in its state.
“The lands clearly belong to Andhra Pradesh government,” the chief justice said.
Stung by the comments of the Supreme Court, the government told the court that the first bidder was not interested in buying the lands and the second bidder sought time till Saturday evening. The court deferred the case to October 6.
