Lucknow, May 1 (IANS): A 2001 batch UP IAS officer has been granted anticipatory bail in the alleged Rs 371 crore scam by Andhra Pradesh High Court.

The officer, Aparna Upadhyayula, was posted as deputy CEO of Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC), and along with her husband G.V.S. Bhaskar Prasad, a project head in the APSSDC, had allegedly played a key role in the diversion of APSSDC funds that resulted in the large-scale misappropriation of public funds, allegedly to the tune of Rs 371 crore.

Justice Sreenivasa Reddy who passed the order said that when the main accused-- to whom specific acts have been attributed --were released on bail, it was a fit case to concede the petitioner's plea for anticipatory bail, which comes with the rider that she should cooperate in the investigation being done by CID once in a fortnight till the charge-sheet is filed.

Currently posted as UP secretary, medical health and family welfare, and mission director, NRHM, and executive director, SIFSA, Aparna Upadhyayula had gone on an inter-cadre deputation to Andhra Pradesh in 2015.

However, in 2017, she was repatriated to UP before completion of her term.

The IAS officer was also under CBI scanner in the Rs 2,267-crore Employees' Provident Fund scam in Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL).

She had held the post of UPPCL MD from 2017 to 2019. The CBI's request to question her was also turned down in 2022.