In a momentary relief to YSRCP MP YS Avinash Reddy the Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the CBI not to arrest him till 25 April in an interim order while a CBI court granted the agency custody of two other accused, YS Bhaskar Reddy and Uday Kumar Reddy, for six days in connection with the murder of YS Vivekananda Reddy who was the uncle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

However, the MP from Kadapa was ordered by the high court to cooperate with the investigations and attend the CBI office daily. The CBI will record the entire interrogation of Avinash Reddy and submit it to the court which will hear the matter again on 25 April.

The MP had approached the high court yesterday with a lunch motion petition after he was named as an accused in the murder. The CBI’s counsel opposed the anticipatory bail petition arguing that Avinash Reddy was the mastermind and he might influence the witnesses if bail was granted.

While Vivekananda Reddy died on the intervening night of 14 and 15 March the ticket for Kadapa Parliamentary seat was confirmed on 17 March and he filed his nomination on 21 March.

According to the CBI, Avinash Reddy and his father Bhaskar Reddy had conspired to kill the victim as he was opposed to the former’s candidature from Kadapa seat. Vivekananda Reddy, who had served as Kadapa MP after his elder brother YS Rajasekhar Reddy gave up the seat, wanted the chief minister’s mother or his sister to represent Kadapa.

The CBI counsel said they had strong evidence to prove Avinash Reddy’s involvement in the murder. He is also accused of tampering with evidence at the murder scene. The fact that he had said that the victim died of a heart attack went against him.

The defence counsel pointed out that the accused turned approver, Sheikh Dastagir, who was Vivekananda Reddy’s driver had not named the MP initially. He also questioned why properties which were transferred in the name of the victim’s second wife were not investigated, particularly as he was estranged from his first wife and daughter. He said certain documents also went missing from the house on the night of the murder.

The court will give its final verdict on the bail petition on 25 April. The CBI will have to conclude investigations by 30 April by the Supreme Court’s order. Meanwhile, the CBI court allowed six days of custody of Bhaskar Reddy and Uday Kumar Reddy to the probe agency.