In a partial relief for TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has issued directions preventing the state CID from arresting him until October 4 in connection with the Skill Development scam and Fibernet scam.
Previously, a team of officials from the Andhra Pradesh CID had set out to serve notices to Nara Lokesh. It is worth noting that his father and former Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, is presently in judicial remand at Rajahmundry central prison, pending a Supreme Court hearing on October 3 regarding the FIR related to the Skill Development scam.
At present, Lokesh is located in New Delhi, prompting the CID team to depart for the national capital with the intention of serving him a notice under Section 41(A) of CrPC, requiring him to appear before a police officer in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road case.
In a related development, the TDP had announced on Thursday that Yuvagalem, a walkathon initiated by Lokesh before his father’s arrest, would be further postponed, suggesting that his return to the state is unlikely to happen soon. However, the high court has instructed Lokesh to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigations.
Following the CID’s inclusion of Lokesh’s name as Accused No. 14 in the Inner Ring Road case, he had promptly filed for anticipatory bail. Notably, his father, N Chandrababu Naidu, was named as Accused No. 1 in the same case by the CID.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has characterized the upcoming 2024 general election as the “battle of Kurukshetra.” He framed it as a contest between the party that allegedly “committed scams” and the YSRCP government, which has disbursed Rs 2.35 lakh crore through direct benefit transfers to the state’s residents thus far.
In his remarks, the Chief Minister acknowledged that he lacks the support of the so-called “yellow media” and a political figure (Pawan Kalyan), reiterating his reliance on the people and faith in God.
