The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) continued questioning Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy’s father YS Bhaskar Reddy and their follower Uday Kumar Reddy for a fifth day on Sunday, April 23 in former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy’s murder case. The duo was brought from Chanchalguda Jail to the CBI office.
The CBI court had sent them to six-day custody of the central agency last week, which will expire on Monday. The probe agency officials were questioning the accused about the motive behind the murder. Bhaskar Reddy was arrested by the CBI on April 16, just two days after Uday Reddy was arrested in Pulivendula town of Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district. Both were brought to Hyderabad where a court sent them to judicial custody.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will on Monday hear the petition of Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter Suneetha Reddy challenging the Telangana High Court order granting protection to Avinash Reddy from arrest till April 25. Observing that an “atrocious and unacceptable” order was passed by the high court, a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha on Friday stayed proceedings before the high court and issued notice on the plea challenging protection to Avinash. The Supreme Court, however, directed the CBI not to arrest the MP till April 24.
Avinash Reddy, cousin of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Redddy, has been appearing before the CBI as per the interim order of the Telangana High Court on his anticipatory bail petition.
Vivekananda Reddy, brother of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, and uncle of Jagan, was murdered at his residence by unidentified persons in Pulivendula on March 15, 2019, weeks before the elections.
The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition from Suneetha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives.