Naidu walks out of jail after 53 days on temporary bail in AP Skill Development case

Rajamahendravaram: TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu walked out of the central prison here on Tuesday evening, hours after the Andhra Pradesh High Court granted him temporary bail in the AP Skill Development case.

Naidu, who spent 53 days in the jail, walked out at 4.20 pm to a rousing reception by his family, party leaders and supporters. The former CM met Hindupur MLA and brother-in-law N Balakrishna, his daughter-in-law Nara Brahmani and hugged TDP state president K Atchen Naidu.

Several party supporters waved TDP flags and welcomed Naidu outside the prison. Scores of TDP leaders and supporters burst into celebrations across the state on the release of their leader.

Following his release, the former CM is expected to reach his Andhra Pradesh residence at Undavalli in Guntur district by 9:20 pm. Earlier in the day, the AP HC granted interim bail for a period of four weeks to Naidu on health grounds. Advocates representing Naidu had informed the court that he needed the bail to undergo a cataract surgery.

Granting the bail, the bench directed the former CM to appear before the Superintendent of the central prison in Rajamahendravaram on or before November 28.

"With a humanitarian perspective in mind and considering the petitioner's health condition, this court is inclined to grant temporary bail on health grounds to the petitioner/A.37, enabling him to undergo the required surgery on his right eye," it said in the order.

As part of conditions, it directed Naidu to furnish a bail bond for Rs 1,00,000 with two sureties for the like amount to the satisfaction of the trial court.

The TDP chief was also ordered to provide details of the treatment given to him and the hospital where he underwent treatment, in a sealed cover, to the Superintendent of the Central Prison, at the time of his surrender.

The petitioner shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat, or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case to dissuade him from disclosing such facts to the Court or any other authority, the order said.

The choice of the medical facility for treatment should remain with the patient, it added.

Naidu was arrested on September 9 for allegedly misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation, which resulted in a purported loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer. The HC posted the regular bail petition to November 10.