Vivekananda murder case: Plea filed in Supreme Court against MP Avinash's bail

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Telangana High Court's May 31 order allowing anticipatory bail to YSRCP MP from Kadapa Y S Avinash Reddy in the 2019 murder case of former Andhra Pradesh Minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy.

Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for complainant Dr Suneetha Narreddy, daughter of the deceased, mentioned the matter before a vacation bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal for an urgent hearing.

The court asked him to mention the matter again on Friday.

In the special leave petition, Dr Narreddy contended that the High Court allowed the anticipatory bail of the accused in the case, contrary to the law laid down by this court, by holding a mini-trial and giving findings, and making comments on the merits of the prosecution case.

She claimed the High Court virtually accepted the entire case put forth by the accused and disregarded the evidence collected by the CBI, even though the Kadapa MP from the ruling party had not cooperated with the CBI by evading three notices for appearance. She also pointed out that the supporters of the accused even attacked the CBI team when it went to arrest him from a hospital where he took shelter on the pretext of his mother’s alleged health issues.

Her plea also alleged the respondent, along with other accused, was successful in destroying the scene of offense in the presence of the state police and had propagated the story that the deceased had died due to a heart attack. It also accused the politician of threatening and influencing the witnesses in the case.

On May 31, Justice M Laxman allowed bail to Avinash Reddy finding no justification for his custodial interrogation by the CBI.

"The gravity of the accusation is not yet clearly brought on record by the CBI so far. The entire case rests upon hearsay evidence and assumptive evidence. No direct evidence is available against the petitioner to prove his participation in a larger conspiracy. They tried to rely upon the improved case of the witnesses and the approver," the HC said.

One of the brothers of the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, and uncle of current Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the deceased was found murdered at his residence in Pulivendula in Kadapa district, on the night of March 15, 2019, a few weeks before the Assembly elections. The case was subsequently handed over to the CBI on the High Court's order.