CBI to probe Chandrababu Naidu's disproportionate assets

Hyderabad, Nov 27: The CBI on Saturday will registered a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) to probe alleged disproportionate assets amassed by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and 12 others.

This follows a directive of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Nov 14. The HC order had come on a petition of Y S Vijayamma, widow of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajashekar Reddy.

The Supreme Court had on Nov 23 refused to stay the CBI probe into alleged disproportionate assets of Naidu but granted him liberty to approach the state High Court for modification or vacation of its interim order.

A three-judge bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari, T S Thakur and Dipak Mishra, while declining to stay or grant status quo, requested the High Court to dispose off within 15 days the application, if any, moved by Naidu and others for modification/vacating the Nov 14 interim order of the high court.

"We are not inclined to interfere with the High Court order. The petitioners are granted liberty to move the High Court for modification or vacating the interim order", the apex court had said. The counsel for Naidu had submitted to the apex court that the direction by the High Court was in "violation" of the apex court's earlier rulings that no such order can be passed without giving an opportunity to the other side.

PTI