Suspense on CBI's next move as deadline ends for Viveka murder probe
Hyderabad, June 30: The deadline set by the Supreme Court for the CBI to complete the investigations into former Andhra Pradesh minister Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy's murder, is coming to an end on Friday. In view of this, there is suspense on what decisions the CBI will take in connection with the four-year-old sensational case.
The central agency is likely to submit a report to the Supreme Court on the status of the investigation on July 3 and seek further extension to complete the probe.
The same day, the Supreme Court is scheduled to take up hearing on the petition filed by Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Suneetha Reddy, seeking cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to Kadapa MP Y. S. Avinash Reddy by the Telangana High Court.
The CBI may file a supplementary charge sheet against Avinash Reddy's father Y. S. Bhaskar Reddy and a couple of others.
The CBI had arrested Bhaskar Reddy’s aide on April 14 and Bhaskar Reddy on April 16. They are currently in judicial custody. The earlier deadline for completing the investigation ended on April 30 but on the request of the CBI, the Supreme Court had extended it by two months.
It will also be interesting to see whether the CBI releases prime accused Yerra Gangi Reddy on bail on July 1.
On April 27, the Telangana High Court had cancelled his bail and on its direction he surrendered to the CBI court. The High Court had ruled that as the CBI is scheduled to complete the hearing on June 30, Gangi Reddy may be granted bail on July 1 on a personal bond of Rs1.50 lakh.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Andhra Pradesh police, which was then investigating the murder case, had arrested Gangi Reddy on March 28, 2019. He, however, was granted default bail by a local court at Pulivendula on June 27, 2019 as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had failed to file charge sheet in the specified period.
Avinash Reddy, cousin of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was granted anticipatory bail by the Telangana High Court on May 31. He, however, was directed to appear before the CBI police every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. till end of June 2023 and regularly as and when he is required for investigation.
The Telangana High Court had also ruled that in the event of the petitioner's arrest by the CBI, he shall be released on bail on executing a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh with two sureties for a like sum each. On June 3 when Avinash Reddy came to the CBI office, he was arrested but was immediately released on bail after he completed the formalities as per the High Court order.
The CBI had informed the court on June 8 that it has included Avinash Reddy as the eighth accused in the case.
Vivekananda Reddy, brother of former chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of Jagan Mohan Reddy, was murdered at his residence in Pulivendula on March 15, 2019, weeks before the elections. The 68-year-old former state minister and former MP was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him.
The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Suneetha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives.
The CBI told the court that Avinash Reddy and his father had a role in causing disappearance of the evidence. It also claimed that they are trying to influence the witnesses. They, however, denied their involvement. The Supreme Court in November last year transferred the trial in the murder case from Andhra Pradesh to CBI court in Hyderabad while observing that doubts raised by Suneetha Reddy about getting a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh were reasonable.