Viveka murder case: It’s for CBI to say Avinash Reddy is not cooperating, says SC; defers Sunitha Reddy plea on cancellation of bail to 19 June

YS Vivekanand Reddy, popularly known as Viveka, was the uncle of Andhra Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and brother of former chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

He was murdered in his home in Kadapa on the intervening night of 14-15 March, 2019.

Related: CBI again questions Avinash Reddy, this time for over 7 hours

Claims Avinash Reddy as main conspirator

Sunitha Reddy said in her plea that Avinash Reddy was the main conspirator in her father’s murder.

She told the bench that Avinash Reddy was not cooperating in the investigation and despite being called by the CBI, he did not appear before the investigating officer and needed custodial investigation.

The apex court bench said that it was for the investigating agency to say whether he was cooperating and the kind of interrogation they want.

Telling her that she was appearing as a petitioner in person, the bench said that they could give a date in the month of July, after the reopening of the court following its summer vacation.

However, on the intervention of senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, who is appearing in the matter for Sunitha Narreddy, the bench agreed to list the matter on 19 June.

Challenging the anticipatory bail to Avinash Reddy — MP from Kadapa parliamentary constituency — the petitioner sought an “ex-parte ad interim” stay of 31 May judgement and the order.

Related: CBI court rejects bail plea of Avinash Reddy’s father Bhaskar Reddy

Challenges HC order on different counts

Sunitha Reddy has challenged the high court order on different counts. She has also sought an extension of the time given to the CBI for completing the investigation into the larger conspiracy in the Viveka murder.

The top court, by its 24 April order, had directed the CBI to conclude the investigation by 30 June.

Challenging the high court order, Suneetha Narreddy has sought the cancellation of Avinash Reddy’s anticipatory bail on several counts, including…

• Non-cooperation and obstruction in the investigation
• Evasion of arrest
• Destruction of evidence at the scene of crime
• Projecting a false story that Vivekanand Reddy had died of cardiac failure
• Pressurising police not to act (consequently high court entrusted the investigation to CBI on 11 March, 2020)
• Given his clout in the ruling YSRCP party, was influencing the investigation
• Misuse and abuse of the state machinery
• Threatening and influencing the witnesses
• And intimidation of the investigating officers.

Sunitha Narredyy said that the Telangana High Court, after holding a “mini-trial and giving findings/making comments on the merits of the prosecution case”, virtually accepted the entire case of Avinash Reddy, while disregarding the evidence collected by the CBI.

Alleging non-cooperation by Avinash Reddy in the investigation of the case, the petition said that he did not appear before the investigating agency on three occasions despite notices by the CBI asking him to appear before it.

Related: Avinash Reddy is now listed by CBI as Accused No 8

‘Tampered with evidence’

The petitioner alleged that Avinash Reddy, along with the other accused, had “successfully” tampered with evidence by “destroying the scene of offence in the presence of the state police and had propagated the story that the deceased had died due to a heart attack”.

The petition said that Avinash Reddy had in fact “pressurised the police not to register an FIR as a result of which only an inquest under Section 174 of the CrPC was started, in a case of cold-blooded murder as is evidenced from photographs of the deceased …”

CBI took over the investigation in July 2020 at the direction of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The case was earlier registered at police station Pulivendula in the Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh.

The late Vivekanand Reddy represented the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency.

A month before the general elections in 2019, Vivekananda Reddy, a former MP, was found murdered at his residence in Pulivendula in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh.