Atchannaidu gets conditional bail, asked not to leave the country

Vijayawada: Former minister and TDP Tekkali MLA Kinjarapu Atchannaidu, who was arrested on charges of involvement in the multi-crore ESI scam, has been granted bail by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, but with conditions. The court asked the TDP leader’s lawyer to provide a bond of Rs 2 lakh and also informed Atchannaidu not to leave the country.

Senior TDP leader and former labour minister K. Atchannaidu and five others were arrested on June 12 by the Anti-Corruption Bureau sleuths over their alleged involvement in the Rs 150 crore ESI medical purchases 'scandal' during the previous TDP government regime.

The ACB, which is investigating the ESI scam case, accused Atchannaidu of interfering with the activities of the Insurance Medical Services, which is responsible for running ESI facilities in the state.

The ACB official observed that Atchannaidu indulged in the scam by issuing letters between October and November, 2016, to the then IMS director ordering him to issue work order to TeleHealth Services Private Limited, Hyderabad, for services related to a call centre, toll-free services, ECG services and Patient Case Management System and Software services.

Atchannaidu had undergone an operation merely two days prior to his arrest. Later, he was later shifted to Ramesh Hospital in Guntur on the orders of the High Court and was in judicial remand there.

On August 14, Atchannaidu tested positive for Covid-19 after which he was shifted to NRI Hospital in Mangalagiri on August 22 for better treatment.