Andhra HC orders CBI probe into Naidu assets

The Andhra Pradesh high court on Monday directed the CBI, ED and Sebi to conduct an investigation into the assets of former chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu.

The Andhra Pradesh high court on Monday directed the CBI, ED and Sebi to conduct an investigation into the assets of former chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu.

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A division bench comprising acting chief justice Ghulam Mohammed and justice Nooti Ramamohan Rao passed the orders on a petition filed on October 17 by Pulivendula MLA YS Vijayamma, widow of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Vijayamma, mother of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the YSR Congress president and MP from Kadapa, has alleged Naidu defrauded the state exchequer and amassed huge wealth by misusing power during his nine-year stint (1995-2004) as CM.

The court directed the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and the Securities and Exchange Board of India to complete the investigation within three months and furnish their reports in sealed covers.

Vijayamma's petition is being seen as a tit-for-tat move. The CBI is already conducting a probe into the assets of Jagan Mohan on the directions of the high court. The court had issued the directions following a bunch of petitions filed, among others, by TDP politburo member K Yerran Naidu.

The TDP president, who is on a tour of Vizianagaram district in north-coastal Andhra, said, "She (Vijayamma) filed the petition with a politically malicious intention to defame me."

The former CM said he would consult legal experts on the course of action since the high court order was delivered without even issuing a notice to him.

With inputs from agencies.