Viveka murder case: Bail plea of Kadapa MP's father rejected

Hyderabad, June 9:  A special CBI court has rejected the bail petition of Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddys father Y.S. Bhaskar Reddy in former Andhra Pradesh minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddys murder case.

The court, which had reserved its order on Thursday, pronounced the same on Friday, refusing to release Bhaskar Reddy on bail.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested Bhaskar Reddy from Pulivendula town in Kadapa district on April 16 and brought him to Hyderabad the same day. Since then, he is lodged at the Chanchalguda Central Jail here.

Two days before Bhaskar Reddy's arrest, the CBI had arrested his close aide G. Uday Kumar Reddy. The investigating agency found during the probe that Uday Kumar Reddy was at the residence of Bhaskar Reddy a day before Vivekananda Reddy's murder.

Opposing the bail petition of Bhaskar Reddy, the CBI argued that he can influence the witnesses in the case. The agency told the court that he is an influential person in Kadapa and Pulivendula, and the protests after his arrest are proof of the same.

Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Suneetha Reddy also opposed Bhaskar Reddy's bail petition. Her counsel submitted to the court that if released on bail, the accused could influence the investigation and the witnesses.

Vivekananda Reddy, the uncle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was murdered at his residence in Pulivendula on March 15, 2019, weeks before the elections.

The CBI stated in its counter affidavit that the MP along with his father conspired to tamper with evidence, leading to obstruction of the inquiry.

During the hearing of bail petition of Bhaskar Reddy, the CBI had informed the court on Thursday that it has listed Avinash Reddy as accused No. 8 (A8) in the murder case.

This was the first time that Avinash Reddy was categorised as an accused, as he was previously treated as a witness and questioned by the CBI on multiple occasions.

According to the counter affidavit, N. Sivashankar Reddy and Avinash Reddy had spoken to the prime accused, Erra Gangireddy, before 5.20 a.m. on the day of the murder. The counter-petition stated that Avinash Reddy arrived at the crime scene within a minute of Sivashankar Reddy's call.

Avinash Reddy, Bhaskar Reddy and Sivashankar Reddy allegedly attempted to persuade Vivekananda Reddy's former driver, Sheik Dastagiri, to withhold information from the CBI and the court.

It also came to light on Thursday that the CBI had arrested Avinash Reddy on June 3, but released him on bail the same day after he completed formalities as per the high court's order.

While granting anticipatory bail on May 31, the Telangana High Court had 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.