Observing that it was for the CBI, which is probing the murder of Y S Vivekanand Reddy, to say that YSR Congress Party’s Lok Sabha member Avinash Reddy was not cooperating in the investigation into the case, the Supreme Court on Tuesday posted the matter for consideration on June 19, 2023.
Refusing to issue notice on Dr. Suneetha Narreddy’s plea seeking the cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to Avinash Reddy by the Telangana High Court, a vacation bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah said, “We are not inclined” to issue notice.
The vacation bench said this as petitioner Dr. Suneetha Narreddy urged the vacation bench to issue notice on her plea challenging the Telangana High Court’s May 31 order granting anticipatory bail to Avinash Reddy, who is accused number 8 in the case of Vivekanand Reddy’s murder.
In the course of the hearing, the bench told Suneetha Narreddy that respondent – Avinash Reddy was her cousin. Dr. Suneetha Narreddy, is daughter of deceased Y.S. Vivekanand Reddy. Vivekanand Reddy was uncle of present Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and brother of late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
Suneetha Reddy said that Avinash Reddy was the main conspirator in her father’s murder.
As Dr. Suneetha Narreddy told the bench that Avinash Reddy was not cooperating in the investigation and despite being called by the CBI, he did not appear before the investigating officer and need custodial investigation, the bench said that it was for the investigating agency to say whether he was cooperating and the kind of interrogation they want.
Telling Dr. Suneetha Narreddy that she was appearing as petitioner in person, the bench said that they can give date in the month of July on the reopening of the court after its summer vacation. However, on the intervention of senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, who is appearing in the matter for Suneetha Narreddy, the bench agreed to list the matter on June 19.
Challenging the May 31 order of Telangana High Court granting anticipatory bail to Avinash Reddy – Lok Sabha member from Kadapa parliamentary constituency – in connection with the Y.S Vivekananda Reddy murder case, the petitioner Suneetha Narreddy has sought an “ex-parte ad interim” stay of May 31 judgment and the order. She has challenged the High Court order on different counts.
She has also sought extension of time to the CBI for completing the investigation into the larger conspiracy in the alleged murder of Vivekanand Reddy. The top court by its April 24, 2023, order had directed the CBI to conclude the investigation by June 30, 2023.
Challenging the High Court order, petitioner Suneetha Narreddy has sought the cancellation of Avinash Reddy’s anticipatory bail on ten counts that includes non-cooperation and obstruction in investigation, evasion of arrest, destruction of evidence from the scene of evidence, projecting a story that deceased Vivekanand Reddy had died of cardiac failure, pressurising police not to act (consequently High Court entrusted the investigation to CBI on March 11, 2020), given his clout in the ruling party, was influencing the investigation, misuse and abuse of the State machinery, threatening and influencing the witnesses, transfer of trial from Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh to Hyderabad in Telangana on the orders of top court, and the intimidation of the investigating officers.
Assailing the High Court order, the Suneetha Narredyy in her petition has said that the High Court after holding a “mini trial and giving findings/making comments on the merits of the prosecution case” virtually accepted the entire case of Avinash Reddy, while disregarding the evidence collected by the CBI which is investigating the case.
Alleging non-cooperation by Avinash Reddy in the investigation of the case, the petition says that he did not appear before the investigating agency on the last three occasions despite notices by the CBI asking him to appear before it.
The petitioner Suneetha Narreddy has alleged that Avinash Reddy along with other accused has “successfully” tampered with evidence by “destroying the scene of offence in the presence of the state police and had propagated the story that the deceased had died due to a heart attack.”
The petition says that Avinash Reddy had in fact “pressurised the police not to register an FIR as a result of which only an inquest under S. 174 Cr.PC was started, in a case of cold blooded murder as is evidenced from photographs of the deceased…”
CBI took over the investigation in July 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court. The case was earlier registered at police station Pulivendula in Kadapa district (Andhra Pradesh). Late Vivekanand Reddy had represented Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency.
A month before the general elections in 2019, Vivekananda Reddy, a former MP, was found murdered at his residence at Pulivendula on March 15, 2019.