VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday struck down the petitions filed by two of the accused in YS Vivekananda Reddy murder case challenging the order of the chief judicial magistrate-cum-principal assistant sessions judge court allowing Shaik Dastagiri, an accused in the case, to turn an approver.
The High Court stated that there are no legal discrepancies in the order and the magistrate had given it after examining all the facts placed before him.The order of the magistrate is within the purview of the law and there is no need for the High Court to intervene in the matter, Justice C Manavendranath Roy ruled. He also directed the CBI to go ahead with the investigation process in the case as per the law.
Justice Roy said Dastagiri had clearly explained his role as well as the others involved in the killing of Vivekananda Reddy. Dastagiri, in his statement, had also told the CBI about the purchase of an axe to commit the offence and how Vivekananda Reddy was attacked.
The statement of Dastagiri is important as it reveals the role of the other accused. As per the case records, Vivekananda Reddy’s watchman Rangaiah saw Gangi Reddy, Y Sunil Yadav, G Uma Shankar Reddy and Shaik Dastagiri entering the house, but there was no eyewitness as to what happened inside. There is only circumstantial evidence in the case. Dastagiri voluntarily came forward to reveal the facts and the CBI had allowed his plea to consider him as an eyewitness in the case.
In the absence of eyewitness, the CBI has to give pardon to Dastagiri to prove what transpired in Vivekananda Reddy’s house, the court said and added that the CBI did not object to the anticipatory bail to Dastagiri as his statement would come in handy to prove the involvement of the other accused, the Judge said.