New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with the Andhra Pradesh High Court order quashing a case against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and minister P Narayana in connection with alleged irregularities in the land pooling scheme in capital Amaravati.
The FIR was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act on March 12, 2021, following a complaint by then MLA Alla Rama Krishna Reddy over the land pooling scheme announced as per a 2016 government order.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said it is not inclined to interfere with the high court order and clarified that the outcome of the petition will not have bearing on other cases, which should be adjudicated on its own merits.
Under the land pooling scheme, the Andhra Pradesh government acquired agricultural land from farmers for the development of Amaravati, the capital city, in return for developed residential and commercial plots. He has also filed a separate transfer petition in connection with the case. 28,181 landowners across 25 villages had contributed 35,215 acres of private agricultural land for the development of Amaravati, according to the records. It also directed that the proceedings continue as a part-heard matter before the same bench and listed the case for August 20.
Earlier reporting noted: The high court said that the ED had taken the required steps and was free to proceed further if its investigation yielded material warranting action. Earlier reporting noted: A bench of comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana is scheduled to take up the Congress leader’s plea on Monday.
