The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), investigating the March 2019 murder of former Congress MP YS Vivekananda Reddy in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, filed its third supplementary charge sheet in the special court for CBI cases in Hyderabad, Telangana, on June 30. Incidentally, June 30 was the last day of the Supreme Court’s deadline for the investigating agency to complete its investigation of the case.
The special court extended the remand of the six accused for 14 days till July 14. The six accused, YS Bhaskar Reddy, Yerra Gangi Reddy, Devineni Shivashankar Reddy, Sunil Yadav, Umashankar Reddy and Uday Kumar, have been sent back to Chanchalguda jail in Hyderabad.
The CBI, which had previously submitted two charge sheets in the Vivekananda Reddy Murder Case, informed the court that it would file a separate plea with the Supreme Court requesting an extension of the investigation in the case because the accused are not cooperating in the investigation.
The deceased Vivekananda Reddy, popularly known as Viveka, was the brother of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP). Vivekananda Reddy was assassinated on March 15, 2019, at his home in Pulivendula, only weeks before the elections.
He was also the uncle of the main accused, YSRCP MP YS Avinash Reddy, who is out on anticipatory bail but has to appear before the CBI for questioning every Saturday till the investigation is completed. Still, for the last three occasions, he has not appeared at the inquiry citing his mother’s illness, despite CBI issuing multiple notices.
The CBI took over the investigation into the matter in July 2020 after the Andhra Pradesh High Court directed it to do so while hearing a plea by Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter Suneetha Reddy, who expressed concerns about the involvement of some relatives in her father’s murder. She even challenged the anticipatory bail given to Avinash Reddy, about which the Supreme Court will hear the case on July 3.
According to the CBI, YSRCP MP from Kadapa, YS Avinash Reddy, and his father, Bhaskar Reddy, were involved in the disappearance of the evidence. The agency further stated that they were attempting to persuade the witnesses. However, the accused father and son denied any involvement in the murder of their relative. Notably, Bhaskar Reddy was recently arrested on April 16.
Suneetha Reddy 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.”
Last year, in November, the Supreme Court transferred the murder trial from Andhra Pradesh to the CBI court in Hyderabad, stating that Suneetha Reddy’s concerns about receiving a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh were reasonable.
In January, the Supreme Court asked Telangana High Court to consider afresh, on merit, the CBI’s plea seeking cancellation of bail to Gangi Reddy in connection with the alleged murder of YS Vivekananda Reddy.
A bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar observed that in a case where an accused is released on default and thereafter on the filing of the chargesheet, a strong case is made out from the chargesheet, and Gangi Reddy’s bail can be cancelled on merit by the court.
Initially, a case was registered by the local police in Pulivendula. Subsequently, a case under Section 302, read with Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, was registered. The state government constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the alleged killing.
During the investigation, the accused, Gangi Reddy, was arrested on March 28, 2019. The statutory period of 90 days lapsed on June 26, 2019. On the very next day of lapsing of 90 days, the respondent accused filed a bail application for default bail, which was allowed by a local court in Pulivendula on June 27, 2019. The accused was released on bail as per the order. Subsequently, and pursuant to the order passed by the High Court dated March 11, 2020, the case investigation was handed over to CBI.
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