For the first time in his life, Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, finds himself facing incarceration—a situation the 74-year-old leader could have never foreseen.
Throughout his political career spanning over four decades, Naidu has encountered numerous legal cases, both criminal and civil, but he has never been inside the walls of a prison.
In past instances where such situations arose, Naidu managed to secure bail well in advance, ensuring he avoided imprisonment.
Even when confronted by political rivals such as Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy and K. Rosaiah, they never succeeded in sending him to jail, not even for a brief period. While he was placed under house arrest on occasions, he was never imprisoned.
During the protest against the Babli project in Dharmabad, Nanded district, in 2010, Naidu was arrested but not held in a traditional lock-up or jail; instead, he was detained in a private building where he endured unsanitary conditions. Apart from that incident, he had never been incarcerated in a jail.
However, YSR Congress party president and Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has managed to achieve what previous non-TDP chief ministers could not. His government has built a strong case regarding the skill development corporation scam against Naidu.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court judge had no choice but to concur with the arguments put forth by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and subsequently ordered a 14-day judicial remand for Naidu.
Thus, for the first time, Naidu will experience the prison environment and the food served within its walls. Even if it's for a limited duration (as he may secure bail, given his influence in higher courts), Jagan has ensured that Naidu faces incarceration.
This can be seen as a form of vindication by Jagan against Naidu, who had previously colluded with the Congress to ensure that Jagan himself was imprisoned for 16 months.
