Vijayawada ACB court extends Chandrababu Naidu's remand till November 1

Vijayawada ACB court on Thursday extended Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Chief N Chandrababu Naidu's remand in the alleged multi-crore skill development scam case till November 1.

Chandrababu Naidu was presented virtually before the court from the Rajahmundry Central Prison.

The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP chief was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on September 9 in connection with the multi-crore skill development scam case, leading to apolitical turmoil in the state with several TDP leaders alleging that the arrest was nothing but a political "witch-hunt" and that Naidu was held on the basis of false allegations.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court reserved its judgment on a plea filed by Chandrababu Naidu seeking to quash the FIR registered against him in the skill development scam case.

Naidu had approached the top court seeking quashing of FIR and cited Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, to challenge his arrest by the Andhra Pradesh police's CID in skill development scam. He had challenged the High Court judgment rejecting his plea for the quashing of FIR. Naidu is currently in judicial custody.

Naidu has sought quashing of FIR registered by AP-CID in the alleged Rs 371 crore skill development scam on the ground that the police did not obtain prior sanction from the Governor as mandated under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

Meanwhile, TDP workers have been demanding the release of Chandrababu Naidu by venting their outrage across the country through candle marches and rallies.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders on Sunday staged a protest in Telangana's Hyderabad, against the arrest of the TDP Chief in the alleged skill development scam case.

They tied their hands with black ropes during the demonstration.

Chandrababu Naidu's wife, Nara Bhuvaneshwari, and son, Nara Lokesh, also participated in the protest.

"Justice is behind the bars today. Even though there is no evidence, Chandrababu was illegally arrested to keep him distant from the people. It is alleged that they are conspiring to threaten Chandrababu's life by keeping him in judicial remand while managing the systems", Nara Lokesh said while speaking to ANI.