SC Refuses to Cancel Anticipatory Bail of Chandrababu Naidu in Amaravati Inner Ring Road Case

The Supreme Court on Monday disposed of a plea filed by the Andhra Pradesh government challenging grant of anticipatory bail to Telugu Desam Party supremo and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road case.

“We are not inclined to issue notice in the present special leave petition,” a bench presided over by Justice Sanjiv Khanna told senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who appeared on behalf of the state government.

The bench, also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, took note of the fact that the apex court in November 2022 dismissed another appeal filed by the state government against grant of anticipatory bail to other co-accused in the same FIR.

However, the apex court clarified that the observations made by the Andhra Pradesh High Court would not affect the investigation and the investigating agency would be free to investigate the case, uninfluenced by the observations made in the impugned order of the High Court.

Further, the top court said that if Naidu -- who was granted anticipatory bail by Andhra Pradesh High Court -- does not cooperate with the probe in the case, the state government would be at liberty to move for cancellation of bail.

It may be recalled that a bench of Justice T. Mallikarjuna Rao of the High Court on January 10 granted anticipatory bail to Naidu in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road case shortly after his arrest in the Skill Development Corporation case.