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In a significant development, N Chandrababu Naidu, the leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), found himself at the center of controversy as he was named the main accused in a chargesheet filed by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) regarding the Fibernet Phase-1 Project scam case. The chargesheet, filed in the Amravati ACB court, also named V Hari Krishna Prasad, managing director of Net India, Hyderabad, and K Sambasiva Rao, an IRTS officer, as other accused individuals, as per the CID’s statement.
The CID alleged that during his tenure as the chief minister, Naidu, who also held the portfolio of the energy, infrastructure, and investment department, personally recommended the execution of the fiber net project. The chargesheet outlines alleged tender manipulation that occurred between 2014 and 2019, during the previous TDP government.
According to the CID, the tender process was manipulated to award the work order for Phase-1 of the AP Fibernet Project, worth Rs 330 crore, to a favored company, resulting in significant financial loss to the exchequer. Naidu’s approval of the project estimate without conducting a market survey for pricing or standards is also cited as a key irregularity.
The chargesheet further alleges that Naidu pressured senior government officials to include Hari Krishna Prasad in tender evaluation committees, revoke the blacklisting of Terasoftware Pvt Ltd, and ultimately award the tender to the same company. Additionally, the CID claims that the accused individuals funneled misappropriated funds through a network of companies associated with them, using fake invoices.
The accused persons face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust, and criminal conspiracy, among others.
The naming of N Chandrababu Naidu as the main accused in this high-profile case has sparked widespread debate and scrutiny, particularly given his prominent role in Andhra Pradesh politics. As legal proceedings unfold, the case is likely to have significant ramifications not only for Naidu and the TDP but also for the broader political landscape of the state.
