Published May 04, 2023 | 11:44 PM ⚊ Updated May 04, 2023 | 11:46 PM
The CBI filed a chargesheet in Vivekananda Reddy's murder case on 26 October 2021 and followed it up with a supplementary chargesheet on 31 January 2022. (Twitter)
Yerra Gangi Reddy, the prime accused in the case pertaining to the murder of former MP YS Vivekananda Reddy, has said he would surrender before the special court for CBI cases as per the advice of his lawyer.
The Telangana High Court has recently dismissed the bail granted to him and asked him to surrender by 5 May.
The court asked the CBI, which is probing the case, to detain Gangi Reddy if he failed to surrender. Since the premier investigating agency has time to complete the probe till 30 June, Gangi Reddy must be in judicial remand till that time only.
After 30 June, bail can be granted to him, the court had said.
According to sources, Gangi Reddy discussed with his lawyer two key issues pertaining to his surrender before the court and the consequences to be faced if he failed to surrender and that he would surrender as the court clearly said that bail must be granted to him after 30 June.
Meanwhile, the CBI, in its counter filed in the high court, opposing anticipatory bail to YSRCP MP YS Avinash Reddy, mentioned about his mobile phone calls from 6 pm on 14 March to 8 am on 15 March in 2019.
Vivekananda Reddy was found murdered on the intervening night of 14 and 15 March in his bathroom in his house in the Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh in 2019.
The investigating agency also mentioned the duration of each call that was dialed or received on Avinash Reddy’s mobile phone.
The callers include Avinash Reddy’s father YS Bhaskar Reddy and their aides G Uday Kumar Reddy and D Shiva Shankar Reddy. The CBI has also mentioned the details of calls made between Shiva Shankar Reddy, Gangi Reddy, Sunil Yadav, Uma Shankar Reddy, and Shaik Dastagir, who became approver in the case.
The CBI has already grilled Avinash Reddy, Bhaskar Reddy, Uday Kumar Reddy, Vivekananda Reddy’s personal assistant Krishna Reddy and cook Lakshmi Devi’s son Prakash in connection with the case.
Bhaskar Reddy and Avinash 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) as he played 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.
