Avinash Reddy also wrote a letter to the CBI, stating that he could not appear before it in view of his mother’s health condition.
Avinash Reddy met his father Bhaskar Reddy during mulakat. (Twitter)
Uncertainty prevailed over the appearance of YSRCP MP YS Avinash Reddy before the CBI at its office in Koti, Hyderabad, on Friday, 19 May, in connection with the murder of his uncle and former MP YS Vivekananda Reddy in Kadapa in 2019.
In response to a notice issued to him by the CBI, Avinash was supposed to appear before it — but he failed to arrive at the office.
He said that his mother developed health complications and he had to accompany her to the hospital in the absence of his father YS Bhaskar Reddy.
Both Bhaskar Reddy and his aide G Uday Kumar Reddy are currently lodged in Chanchalguda Central Jail in connection with the same case.
Vivekananda Reddy, popularly known as Viveka, was found murdered in his home in Kadapa on the intervening night of 14-15 March, 2019.
Viveka was also the paternal uncle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Minutes after Avinash Reddy’s mother complained of chest pain, the family rushed her to a private hospital in Kadapa.
Instead of coming to the CBI office, Avinash headed to Kadapa to meet his mother. However, en route, at Chukkalur village in Tadipatri, he met his mother in an ambulance that was driving towards Hyderabad.
He also wrote a letter to the CBI stating that he could not appear before it in view of his mother’s health condition.
A team of lawyers went to the CBI office and requested the officials to issue a fresh date to enable Avinash to appear before it. Later, there was no information about him.
However, in the evening, reports surfaced that Avinash Reddy’s mother was admitted to a private hospital in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh after developing health problems.
In a separate incident, followers of Avinash Reddy attacked the vehicle of a vernacular news channel following his convoy. Irate followers forcibly took the camera of the news channel and damaged the windscreen of the vehicle.
Expressing displeasure over the way two vernacular news channels chased Avinash Reddy’s vehicle, Andhra Pradesh government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishnan Reddy said that the former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu could have arrested Avinash Reddy long ago if the police found his involvement in the case.
“Why would Avinash Reddy try to vanish now when he appeared before the CBI five times?” he asked.
He added that the person who admitted to killing Vivekananda Reddy was roaming freely, but the media was chasing an MP who is ready to face any extreme situation.
He clarified that Avinash Reddy was extending full cooperation to the investigators.
Avinash Reddy and his father Bhaskar Reddy’s names figured in the murder case that created a sensation before the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh in 2019.
Bhaskar Reddy has been charged under Sections 120B (conspiracy), 302 (murder), and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for playing a crucial role in the case, according to the CBI. The probe agency believes he had spoken to the accused before and after the murder.
According to the CBI, the father and son hatched the plot to murder Vivekananda Reddy and sheltered the accused.
Their associate Shiva Shankar played a crucial role in erasing evidence, the CBI said in a response filed before the court to oppose the bail of Sunil Yadav, who is an accused in the case.
The CBI also said that a ₹40 crore “supari” (contract to kill) was offered to the accused to eliminate Viveka.
The Supreme Court last November transferred the case from Andhra Pradesh to a Special CBI Court in Hyderabad for investigation and trial into the conspiracy behind the murder case.
The apex court’s decision came on a petition by Viveka’s daughter, Dr Narreddy Suneetha, who had in the past alleged that Avinash Reddy was hampering the CBI probe.
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