Insider buying and selling in Amaravati: Andhra CID asks Naidu to look earlier than it on March 23

The Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday issued discover to former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to look earlier than it in reference to its investigation into alleged insider buying and selling in Amaravati. CID officers visited Naidu’s residence in Hyderabad and served him the discover underneath Section 41 of the CrPC.
The CID additionally issued discover to Dr P Narayana, who was minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development in the course of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) regime. The CID has requested each Naidu and Dr Narayana to look for questioning on March 23.
TDP spokesperson B Umamaheshwara Rao stated the YSRCP authorities was being vindictive and revengeful, and dismissed the allegations of insider buying and selling.
The CID notices come two days after the ruling YSRCP swept the municipal elections.
The CID alleges that a number of TDP ministers, leaders and celebration members had prior data {that a} specific area between Krishna and Guntur districts could be declared as the brand new capital of the state, and that they bought huge tracts of land at low costs.
It additionally alleges that after the Amaravati area was declared because the capital, land costs elevated, thereby benefitting those that had bought land.
The CID had filed a minimum of 20 circumstances in opposition to TDP leaders and actual property builders near the TDP, accusing them of being concerned in insider buying and selling.
However, on January 19 this 12 months, the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed the insider buying and selling circumstances, observing there was no proof to point the identical.
In June 2019, the Andhra authorities constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee and entrusted it with the accountability of verifying varied allegations in opposition to the insurance policies adopted, alleged acts of corruption, nepotism and pilferage of public funds, and submit an in depth report. The examine of the brand new capital space — often called Amaravati capital area — conceptualised for the state was one of many topics examined.
“The Cabinet Sub-Committee, after verifying government records, conclusively opined in its report submitted on December 12 last year, that public servants at the head of affairs in the erstwhile government misused and abused their official position to pre-determine the location of the new capital and subsequently purchased lands to unjustly and illegally benefit their associates, their companies and businesses, family members and/or political party members. The boundaries of the capital and its infrastructure were designed and modified to suit their personal interests. Further, the said officials in violation of their oaths, revealed the privileged information about capital city location to their associates,” an official stated.

The report of the Cabinet Sub-Committee additionally discovered a number of irregularities and illegalities with respect to the procedures adopted by the erstwhile authorities in buying land and offences dedicated by dispossessing landless poor of assigned lands by an elaborate conspiracy, forgery, fabrication of paperwork and tampering of information. These transactions had been penal offences underneath the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988, and Prevention of Money laundering Act, the report acknowledged.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted on this regard and it was notified as a police station with state vast jurisdiction. While analyzing the contents of the report of the Cabinet sub-committee and the investigation achieved by the Crime Branch of CID, it emerged that for the fee of the offences, funds had been channelized by sure individuals dwelling in states exterior Andhra and even overseas.
On December 27, 2019, the Sub-Committee submitted its report and the YSRCP authorities accused Chandrababu Naidu, his son N Lokesh, and a minimum of six different TDP leaders of insider buying and selling and buying lands in an space in Guntur district which was declared because the capital metropolis six months later. The report submitted by the Sub-Committee acknowledged that “persons privy to the likely location of capital purchased lands in the capital city/region area just prior to a formal official declaration.”
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“Certain highly placed individuals procured land through benami transactions; defined the boundary of the capital area to benefit certain connected people, holding lands on the fringes; fraudulent surrender of some lands towards land pooling scheme to receive returnable plots; irregularities in land allotment; violation of provisions of AP Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfer) Act of 1977; and violation of provisions of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989,” the report acknowledged.
“Certain individuals, having the white ration cards meant for the low-income families, acted as benamis and transacted in lands, in the capital city/region area on behalf of the original beneficiaries. A verification of registration records revealed that at least 4069.94 acres of land was purchased by persons privy to information of location of the capital and their suspected benamis, between June 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014,” the report stated.
“The prominent persons involved in insider trading are Nara Chandrababu Naidu; Vemuru Ravi Kumar Prasad, NRI, close associate of Nara Lokesh; former minister Paritala Sunitha; former TDP MLA GVS Anjeneyulu; industrialist Lingamaneni Ramesh in whose guesthouse Naidu is living now as his official accommodation; TDP MLA Payavula Keshav, former TDP spokesperson Lanka Dinakar, TDP leaders Dhulipalla Narendra, Kambhampati Ramamohan Rao and Putta Mahesh Yadav,” it added.
“Lingamaneni Ramesh, purchased large parcels of land in his name, in the name of his wife L Sumana, his other relatives, L Prasanthi, L Swarnakumari. Ponguru Narayana, the then Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, purchased land to the extent of 55.27 acres in the name of his benamis Avula Munisankar, Rapuru Sambasiva Rao, Potturi Prameela and Kothapu Varun Kumar. Kommalapati Sridhar, ex-TDP MLA, purchased lands to the extent of 68.6 acres of lands in the name of his suspected benami firm Abhinandana Housing Private Limited, Guntur. Prattipati Pulla Rao, the then TDP Minister purchased lands to the extent of 38.84 acres in the name of his benami Gummadi Suresh. Nara Lokesh, son of the former CM purchased lands to the extent of 62.77 acres in the name of his benami Vemuru Ravikumar Prasad and his business firms Future Space India Private Limited, Hyderabad, Goshpadi Green Fields Private Limited, Hyderabad and Future Trends Constructions and Infrastructure Ltd, Hyderabad. Former TDP Minister Ravela Kishore Babu, purchased lands to the extent of 40.85 acres in the name of his suspected benami firm Mythri Infra, Visakhapatnam. Late Kodela Siva Prasad, former Speaker of AP, purchased 17.13 acres in the name of his suspected benami firm M/S Sasi Infra,” the report stated.

The report acknowledged the members observed two kinds of alleged manipulations. “Redesigning the boundaries of the Land Pooling Scheme area, such that the lands of the leaders of the TDP or their relatives fell right adjacent to the boundary of the land pooling. Redrawing the boundaries of Capital Region Develoment Authority (CRDA) to bring in the areas belonging to the leaders of the Telugu Desam Party in to the CRDA zone,” it discovered.
In September 15 final 12 months, an FIR was lodged in opposition to former Advocate General of Andhra Pradesh Dammalapati Srinivas for allegedly buying lands in an space in Guntur district which got here underneath the Amaravati capital area. The FIR alleged Srinivas and his members of the family had been concerned in an insider buying and selling ring which had prior data of the area which the TDP authorities would declare as the brand new state capital, and bought giant tracts of land in that area. The costs of the lands bought by Srinivas’ household multiplied after their land got here underneath the capital area, the FIR acknowledged. The FIR was filed on the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Guntur Police Station.
However, on January 19 this 12 months, the High Court dismissed the circumstances filed by the CID accusing a number of individuals of insider buying and selling. The CID had filed a case in opposition to TDP Organising Secretary Kilaru Rajesh accusing him of heading the insider buying and selling ring. Rajesh approached the High Court stating that YSRCP leaders had filed a false case.
In his petition, he acknowledged that not one of the land sellers filed a criticism. “The YSRCP government is making false claims and taking revenge against those who sold land in the Amaravati region, accusing them of being involved in the alleged insider trading,” he acknowledged in his petition.
After listening to the petition, the High Court asserted that no insider buying and selling passed off, and added that no IPC sections will likely be relevant to it.