The Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (AP-CID), the investigating agency in the Amaravati assigned land case, has alleged that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, then Minister for MA&UD P. Narayana, other former Ministers and their benamis, with an intention to grab the assigned lands in the capital city area from the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Backward Classes (BCs), had put them under the impression that the assigned lands would be taken away by the government under the Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) without giving any package and had purchased the lands at cheaper prices.
The AP-CID has estimated the value of 1,400 acres of assigned lands involved in the offence to be approximately ₹5,600 crore.
A case registered under the Sections 166, 167, 217, 120 (B) of IPC read with Section 34, 35, 36, 37 of IPC, Sec.3 (1) (f) & (g) of SCs/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and Section 7 of A.P. Assigned Land (POT) Act, 1977 at the CID Police Station at Mangalagiri is being investigated.
It is alleged that the Ministers, after purchasing the assigned lands from SCs and STs, pressurised the government officials for issuing of the G.O. M.S.No.41 to gain benefits of the LPS for the assigned lands in the villages such as Mandadam, Velagapudi, Rayapudi, Uddandarayunipalem and others, according to the investigation report accessed by The Hindu.
In pursuance of their plan, the accused allegedly engaged Kommareddy Brahmananda Reddy, K.P.V. Anjani Kumar, Gummadi Suresh, Kolli Sivaram, family members of the Ministers and others, who acted as benamis of the then Ministers and purchased the assigned lands from the poor people.
Pressure was allegedly brought upon the Sub-Registrar officers in Mangalagiri to allow registrations and General Power of Attorney (GPAs) on the lands in the prohibited list and this has been brought out in statements recorded under Section 164 of Cr.P.C before the Magistrate, as per a statement in the investigation report of the AP-CID.
The AP-CID maintained that investigation elicited clear evidence of flow of funds from the educational societies and companies operated by the family members of Mr. Narayana to the real estate middleman, who in turn paid the farmers of assigned lands and got illegal sale agreements prepared in the names of the benamis of him.
It alleged that Mr. Narayana illegally acquired nearly 150 acres of assigned lands for himself. Other politically affiliated associates of Mr. Naidu and Mr. Narayana, too, allegedly acquired assigned lands of hundreds of acres in the capital city area, the AP-CID added.
Senior IAS officers have deposed before the Magistrate under Section 164 Cr.P.C that Mr. Naidu and Mr. Narayana got the G.O.Ms.No.41 issued, overriding the opinions of the then Advocate General, Andhra Pradesh High Court, Secretary (Law Department) and the objections raised by the IAS Officers, as per the AP-CID.
This G.O.Ms.No.41 was allegedly intended to give legitimacy to the transactions on the assigned lands, though such transactions were illegal as per the A.P. Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfer) Act, 1977.
Published - September 12, 2023 08:16 pm IST
