Andhra CID serves notice to Lokesh in Amaravati Inner Ring Road case

Andhra Pradesh's CID on Saturday served notice to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) General Secretary Nara Lokesh in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road case, asking him to appear before it for questioning on October 4.

CID officials served notice under Section 41A of the Criminal Procedure Code.

As the TDP leader has been staying in New Delhi for the last few days, a CID team went to the national capital to serve the notice.

Lokesh has been directed to make himself available for questioning at CID office in Amaravati at 10 a.m. on October 4.

The CID had filed a memo in Vijayawada ACB Court on September 26, naming Lokesh as the 14th accused in the case.

The TDP General Secretary had moved Andhra Pradesh High Court for anticipatory bail in the case.

During the hearing, the CID informed the court that it will issue notice to Lokesh under Section 41A of Criminal Procedure Code. Since the arrest is not apprehended in the case, the court disposed of TDP leader’s petition after directing him to cooperate in the investigation.

Lokesh is son of TDP supremo and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is already in judicial custody in Skill Development scam. The CID has already named Naidu as an accused in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road case and AP FiberNet case and filed Prisoner Transit (PT) warrant petitions against him in Vijayawada ACB Court.

In May 2022, the CID had registered an FIR against Chandrababu Naidu, former Municipal Administration Minister Dr P. Narayana, Heritage Foods Ltd, and others, for alleged irregularities in the construction of an internal ring road in Amaravati.

The FIR was filed based on a complaint from YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Mangalgiri MLA A. Rama Krishna Reddy, alleging that certain illegal and corrupt activities were committed by highly placed government officials between 2014 and 2019 with regard to the design of master plan for the Andhra Pradesh capital and alignment of the ring road to cause wrongful gain to certain individuals.

Heritage Foods is a company owned by Chandrababu Naidu’s family.

Since Lokesh apprehends his arrest in AP Skill Development and AP FiberNet scams, he also filed anticipatory bail petition in the High Court. The High Court on Friday passed the interim order, directing the CID not to arrest him till October 4.