YS Viveka murder: Telangana HC adjourns YS Avinash Reddy anticipatory bail plea by a day

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing on YS Avinash Reddy’s petition for an anticipatory bail in YS Vivekananda Reddy murder case to Friday, April 28, 2023. The petition is expected to come up for hearing at 3:30 pm on Friday. The adjournment came after the High Court heard arguments from the counsels of the petitioner and Dr Sunitha, YS Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter, who impleaded herself in the anticipatory bail petition.

The counsel for the petitioner raised three key points as part of his detailed arguments presented before the court. The counsel contended that the evidence from Google Takeout, the imagery which the CBI has used to pin the blame on YS Avinash Reddy, could not be a standard for evidence and that no court took cognisance of it. He also rubbished the CBI’s claims that the petitioner was very much present at his house in Pulivendula on the day YS Vivekananda Reddy was murdered. Countering the CBI claims, the counsel told the court that YS Avinash Reddy was on his way to Jammalamadugu when he was informed of the death by Siva Prakash Reddy, the brother of the slain leader’s son-in-law Narreddy Rakasekhara Reddy.

The High Court was told that on his arrival at the house of the deceased, YS Avinash Reddy was informed that Vivekananda Reddy died of heart attack. The advocate said that the petitioner merely guided the people who were cleaning the blood soaked body and that he had no involvement in the killing.

YS Avinash Reddy’s counsel also alleged that the CBI investigation was being carried out by making the petitioner as its sole target. He wondered how the CBI could take the testimony of Shaik Dastagiri, one of the prime accused in the murder, as a yardstick and turn him into an approver. Claiming that the CBI probe smacked of conspiracy, he alleged that the special investigation team (SIT) of the CBI kept Shaik Dastagiri under its custody for more than two months following which the accused came up with a contradictory statement.

Shaik Dastagiri, who did not mention the names of YS Bhaskar Reddy and YS Avinash Reddy in his first statement, was later coaxed into naming them in his subsequent statements by the CBI, the counsel claimed.

Arguing on behalf of Dr Sunitha Reddy, senior counsel Siddarth Luthra claimed that YS Avinash Reddy did not visit Jammalamadugu on that fateful day and that he was present very much at his house. The distance between the houses of YS Vivekananda Reddy and YS Avinash Reddy is only 500 metres, he said.