Supreme Court Upholds Andhra Pradesh High Court's Quashing of Land Pooling Case

The original First Information Report (FIR) was registered on March 12, 2021, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, following a complaint by then-MLA Alla Rama Krishna Reddy. The complaint pertained to the land pooling scheme, which was established by a government order in 2016. The CID's investigation had implicated Mr. Naidu, Mr. Narayana, and others, charging them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the SC/ST Act, and the Assigned Lands Act.

Previously, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had suspended all proceedings in the case after Mr. Naidu and Mr. Narayana submitted petitions to have the case annulled.

The land pooling scheme was designed for the Andhra Pradesh government to acquire agricultural land from farmers for the development of Amaravati. In exchange for surrendering their land for the capital project, farmers were to receive developed residential and commercial plots. The scheme aimed to serve as an alternative to mandatory land acquisition processes.

Key Facts

• The Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Andhra Pradesh High Court's order quashing a case against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Minister P. Narayana.
• The case concerned alleged irregularities in the land pooling scheme for the capital city of Amaravati.
• The Supreme Court clarified that its decision would not affect other cases related to the matter.
• The original FIR was registered on March 12, 2021, following a complaint by then-MLA Alla Rama Krishna Reddy.
• The CID investigation had named Mr. Naidu, Mr. Narayana, and others as accused.
• Under the land pooling scheme, farmers were to receive developed plots in return for their agricultural land.
• The Andhra Pradesh government acquired 35,215 acres of private agricultural land from 28,181 landowners across 25 villages for Amaravati's development.