HYDERABAD: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a supplementary chargesheet in the YS Vivekananda Reddy murder case, expanding the number of suspects.
The new suspects in the chargesheet are: Uday Kumar Reddy (A6), YS Bhasker Reddy (A7), YS Avinash Reddy (A8), and two other people suspected of being engaged in the crime - Viveka’s personal assistant MV Krishna Reddy as A9 and Yedula Prakash as A10.
The accused who were being held in judicial remand were produced by the investigating officials before Ch Ramesh Babu, Principal Special (Sessions) Judge for CBI Cases, Nampally, Hyderabad, on Friday. They were: Y Gangireddy (A1), Yadati Sunil Yadav (A2), Gajjala Uma Shankar Reddy (A3), D Siva Shankar Reddy (A5), Uday Kumar Reddy (A6), and YS Bhasker Reddy (A7). Accused No 4 Shaik Dastagiri, who has turned approver, was not present in the court throughout the hearings.
The judge extended the judicial custody of the accused till July 14. While the special court is still considering the supplementary charge sheet, the investigating agencies must file the final charge sheet by concluding the material facts and drafting charges.
It may be recalled that Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy, now A8 in the latest chargesheet, was given anticipatory bail on May 31. He has been attending questioning by the CBI every Saturday, as required by the High Court under the anticipatory bail orders. The gruesome murder of former minister Vivekananda Reddy, the uncle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, shocked the State. On March 15, 2019, shortly before the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, he was found dead with stab injuries at his home in Pulivendula.
Because of the high-profile nature of the person involved, the case continues to draw attention as the investigation advances and the supplemental charge sheet is evaluated. In the following weeks, more light will likely be thrown on the circumstances that led to the murder, presenting a fuller picture of what happened on that day in 2019.