After Andhra Pradesh High Court issued a stay on the alleged case of land encroachment against former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and former minister in his Cabinet P Narayana, the CID now all set to file a counter-affidavit.
Earlier, the state's CID registered an FIR against Chandrababu Naidu and his minister in a case alleging that the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government had taken away the lands assigned to Dalits by cheating and threatening them.
According to the Crime Investigation Department statement: "The Investigation team collected over 150 documents from the Sub-registrar office, Mangalagiri which clearly showed the mollified acts of the individuals who were involved in the illegal activities. The details such as names, addresses, photographs, etc of these persons who are suspected to be benamis of persons connected to the individuals in decision making role in the then government are being compiled."
"It has come to notice that certain private individuals were trying to contact the potential witnesses and trying to hamper the investigation by twisting the facts. The victims/witnesses belong to weaker sections and were already hesitant to approach the law enforcement agencies, earlier," it added.
"It is requested to not indulge in a trial by media or harassment/intimidation of witnesses, by approaching them and exposing them to the perpetrators of the offences. As the matter is under examination by the Court, we will be responsibly placing all these facts before it through a counter affidavit," it added.
The investigation agency had served notices under Sec 41 of CrPC to them to appear for an inquiry into the matter. Chandrababu Naidu and P Narayana have filed quash petitions in High Court on March 18 seeking to quash the FIR filed by the CID.
( With inputs from ANI )
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