Viveka murder case: SC to hear plea seeking cancellation of Avinash Reddy anticipatory bail on 13 June

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

Posted the matter to 13 June

Asking the senior advocate Sidharth Luthra if he was seeking the cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to Avinash Reddy by the high court, a vacation bench of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Rajesh Bindal posted the matter for hearing on 13 June.

Sidharth Luthra appeared for the petitioner Suneetha Narreddy who has challenged the Telangana High Court order.

Describing Avinesh Reddy as the principal conspirator in her (Suneetha Narreddy) father’s murder, senior advocate Luthra told the vacation bench that an earlier bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, on 24 April, had said that it was not a case for an interim order and sent the matter to the high court.

They (the accused) did not cooperate (with the investigating agency) on summons and Avinash Reddy avoided the probe on account of his mother’s illness and the high court had not granted interim protection initially, said the lawyer.

Challenging the 31 May order of Telangana High Court granting anticipatory bail to Avinash Reddy — Lok Sabha member from Kadapa parliamentary constituency —  the petitioner sought an “ex-parte ad interim” stay of the judgement and the order.

Related: CBI court posts YS Bhaskar Reddy petition for bail to 6 June

Seeks more time for CBI probe

Dr Suneetha Reddy has challenged the high court order on different counts.

She also sought an extension of time given to the CBI to complete the investigation into the larger conspiracy in the murder of Vivekanand Reddy. The top court, by its 24 April order, had directed the CBI to conclude the investigation by 30 June.

Assailing the high court order, Suneetha Narreddy, in her petition, said that the 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 which was investigating the case.

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

‘Tampered with evidence’

The petitioner also alleged that Avinash Reddy, along with the other accused, has “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 says 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 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.

Late Vivekanand Reddy represented 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 on March 15, 2019.