Viveka murder case: Telangana HC adjourns hearing on CBI plea

Hyderabad, March 23 (IANS) The Telangana High Court on Thursday adjourned hearing on the CBI petition to cancel the bail of Yerra Gangi Reddy, the main accused in Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy murder case, to March 29.

The court issued notice to Gangi Reddy on the petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and adjourned the hearing.

The central agency has sought the cancellation of the bail on the ground that Reddy is the main accused and has been influencing key witnesses in the case.

During the previous hearing, the CBI counsel had argued that Reddy is having political backing and is trying to put pressure on the witnesses through his connections.

Justice D. Ramesh had asked the CBI to submit some evidence that Gangi Reddy is influencing witnesses.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Andhra Pradesh police, which was then investigating the murder case, arrested Gangi Reddy on March 28, 2019.

Gangi Reddy was granted default bail by a local court at Pulivendula in October 2021 on technical grounds as the CBI failed to file the charge sheet within 90 days of registering the first information report (FIR).

Later, the Andhra Pradesh High Court also upheld the decision of the lower court.

The CBI had approached the Supreme Court, challenging the order of the High Court.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court had observed that the release of an accused on default bail will not act as an absolute bar to consider a plea for cancellation of bail on merits after the presentation of the charge sheet.

The Supreme Court, in November last year, transferred the trial in the murder case from Andhra Pradesh to CBI court in Hyderabad. Consequent to this, the apex court asked the CBI to approach the Telangana High Court for cancellation of bail of Gangi Reddy.

Vivekananda Reddy, brother of former chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of present Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was found murdered at his residence in Pulivendula of Kadapa district on the night of March 15, 2019.

The 68-year-old former state minister and former MP was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him.

The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Suneetha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives.

The Supreme Court transferred the case to Hyderabad while observing that doubts raised by Suneetha Reddy about getting a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh were reasonable.

The CBI has questioned Suneetha Reddy's cousin and Kadapa MP Y. S. Avinash Reddy in the murder case four times since January 28.