HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court granted conditional Anticipatory Bail to the Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy stating that if the petitioner is arrested by the CBI in connection with the Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy murder case, he will be released on bail upon executing a personal bond for Rs.5 lakhs with two sureties for a like sum each to the satisfaction of the CBI.
Justice M. Laxman said that the until the inquiry is concluded, the petitioner may not leave the country without prior authorization from the CBI. The petitioner is not permitted to tamper with the prosecution witnesses or change any evidence.
The petitioner must cooperate with the inquiry and appear before the CBI Police every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. till the end of June 2023, and must not behave in any way that would jeopardise a fair and timely investigation.
In the event of the petitioner committing any default, it is open to the CBI to seek cancellation of anticipatory bail.
Avinash Reddy is the incumbent lawmaker from the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency and has been named as an accused in Vivekananda Reddy's murder.
Vivekananda Reddy, one of the brothers of late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was found murdered at his residence in Pulivendula in Kadapa district on the night of March 15, 2019, weeks before the Assembly elections in the state.
On April 24, the top court set aside a Telangana High Court order granting interim relief from arrest to the Kadapa MP and said that such a decision prejudices the investigation. It granted the CBI time till June 30 to complete its investigation into the case.
Following the SC's decision, the Telangana High Court heard Avinash Reddy's anticipatory bail plea on April 27 and 28 but proceeded to adjourn the hearing until June 5.
Taking note of this delay, the SC's vacation bench said, "We are inclined to grant the prayer as anticipatory bail application which was taken up after the SC order was heard on April 27 and April 28, and no orders were passed. We direct that the plea will be placed before the next vacation bench on May 25 and necessary orders be passed after hearing all the parties."
The bench at the same time also expressed its displeasure over Avinash Reddy not appearing before the CBI and declined to direct the central agency to exempt him from interrogation in view of his mother’s ill-health.
"We are not happy from both angles - court not passing the order and how much times it takes but at the same time notice was issued by the CBI and you didn’t appear," the bench remarked.
Meanwhile, senior advocate VV Giri, who was appearing on behalf of the respondent, told the court that his client was being hounded. "The application was heard on two days on the 27th and 28th (April) but has been adjourned and is posted on June 5. Earlier, we didn’t receive the CBI notice but now we have. My client's father was arrested and my client is being hounded,” Giri said.
Avinash Reddy had failed to appear before the central agency on May 16 and May 19 after being summoned in connection with Vivekananda Reddy's murder.
The CBI took over the investigation in July 2020 on the orders of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and began quizzing Avinash Reddy in connection with the case.
His father YS Bhaskar Reddy, uncle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, was arrested by the CBI on April 16 in connection with the murder.
Meanwhile, CBI officials, on Monday, reached Vishwa Bharati Hospital in Kurnool to take the YSRCP lawmaker into custody for questioning after he rejected the CBI summons.
According to the summons, he was directed to appear before the probe agency on May 22 at 11:00 AM.
However, Avinash Reddy failed to appear and instead wrote to the CBI seeking a 10-day extension, citing his mother's hospitalisation on account of poor health.
(With additional inputs from online desk)