It appears Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is running out of his options to get out of the Rajahmundry central jail where he had been in judicial remand for the last 18 days in connection with the alleged skill development corporation scam.
The Jagan Mohan Reddy government has built up the case so strongly that Naidu could not get the regular bail or even interim bail from the special court for Anti-Corruption Bureau cases in Vijayawada despite roping in top lawyers from the Supreme Court.
While the state high court rejected his petition seeking to quash the FIR against him, the Supreme Court did not show any interest in treating his special leave petition on emergency basis.
Needless to say, the petition is going to drag on for days in the apex court and there is no way he would get a stay on the investigation.
Moreover, Naidu’s lawyers are challenging the case against Naidu on technical grounds – like the government had not taken the permission of Governor under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act etc., but not the merits of the case as such.
The ACB court extended Naidu’s judicial remand till October 5 and deferred his bail petition. So, he would have to be in the jail at least till October 5, unless he gets the bail, chances of which are very remote.
Even if there is any possibility of getting any bail, the Jagan government is ready throw him behind the bars again in one case or more. According to sources, there is no possibility of Naidu coming out of the jail at least for another three months.
The only option before Naidu, according to legal experts, is to seek bail on health grounds. He is 73 years old and would turn 74 in another six months. Naturally, he has age-related issues like blood pressure, diabetes and even heart complications.
“If the courts reject bail to Naidu on technical grounds or under the regular bail conditions (like filing of charge sheet against him within 90 days of arrest), he has the only option of moving the court for bail on health grounds,” sources said.
If the medica examinations show even minor complications, the courts will not take risk of continuing the judicial remand of such high-profile politicians and might grant the conditional and interim bail.
“That is the only way Naidu can come out of jail, but not by getting the clean chit in the case,” sources said.
