The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred to June 19 a plea moved by the daughter of late MP Y S Vivekananda Reddy, challenging a Telangana High Court order that granted anticipatory bail to YSR Congress Party MP Y S Avinash Reddy in the murder case of the former parliamentarian.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, which did not allow senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, representing petitioner Suneetha Narreddy, to argue the matter owing to the summer vacation, said since the matter involves a number of technical aspects, it would be better if she is assisted by a senior counsel.
“We are not allowing the senior counsel to argue during the vacation, so as to give the junior counsel a chance. If we allow senior advocate Sidharth Luthra to argue the matter, we would be charged for discrimination. We will list the matter before another bench next week, so that the petitioner can be assisted by a senior counsel as the case has many technical aspects,” the bench said.
Narreddy, who argued her petition in person, said the top court had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conclude its probe in her father’s murder case by June 30 but the high court, on the other hand, had granted anticipatory bail to the respondent number 2 (Avinash Reddy).
Justice Amanullah said the CBI is not present before the court and the agency can very well say whose custodial interrogation is required and whose is not.
“It is for the CBI to take up the matter. It cannot be a case of ego clash and someone is put behind bars,” the bench said, adding that it will also not be appropriate to tweak an order of the coordinate bench issued in the matter, by which it was directed that the investigation be completed by June 30.
Narredy urged the court to issue a notice to the CBI seeking its reply and claimed that the federal agency has told the high court that the accused is not cooperating with the probe.
“Sorry, we are not inclined to issue a notice,” the bench said as it listed the matter for hearing on June 19.
On June 9, the top court had agreed to hear Narreddy’s plea after Luthra mentioned it for urgent listing.
“The accused is the principal conspirator in my father’s murder. The high court did not grant interim protection initially. Now, the high court has gone on the basis of media reports,” Luthra had told the top court.
The Telangana High Court granted anticipatory bail to Avinash Reddy on May 31 and directed him not to leave the country without the CBI’s permission till the investigation was complete.
“The petitioner shall cooperate with the investigation and appear before the CBI every Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm till the end of June 2023, and shall regularly appear as and when he is required for investigation,” the high court had said.
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The petitioner shall be released on bail in the event of his arrest by the CBI on the execution of a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh with two sureties for a like sum each to the satisfaction of the federal agency, the high court order had said.
Avinash Reddy, a cousin of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, is under the CBI scanner and has been examined by the agency several times this year.
Avinash Reddy’s father Y S Bhaskar Reddy was arrested by the CBI on April 16 in connection with the killing of Vivekananda Reddy.
Vivekananda Reddy, one of the brothers of late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was found killed at his residence in Pulivendula in Kadapa district on the night of March 15, 2019, weeks before the Assembly polls in the southern state.
The case was initially probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state Crime Investigation Department (CID), but was handed over to the CBI in July 2020.
The CBI filed a chargesheet in the case on October 26, 2021 and followed it up with a supplementary chargesheet on January 31, 2022.
