YS Viveka murder: Telangana HC asks CBI not to act against YS Avinash Reddy till Monday

HYDERABAD: In a significant direction, the Telangana High Court on Friday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the murder case of YS Vivekananda Reddy, to not take any action against YSRCP MP YS Avinash Reddy until Monday. The High Court gave the directions while hearing the writ petition filed by the YSRCP Lok Sabha Member on Thursday seeking restraining order in the case.

The High Court also directed the investigating agency to furnish on Tuesday in a hard disk the audio and video records of its investigation and questioning of the accused so far in connection with the case.

Earlier, the counsel for YS Avinash Reddy, while presenting his arguments before the High Court, made sensational claims that Rajasekhara Reddy, the son-in-law of YS Vivekananda Reddy, was the real culprit in the murder. Informing the court that his client was fully cooperating with the investigation, he urged the court’s directions to the CBI for an audio and video recording of the questioning.

The counsel for YS Avinash Reddy also sought the setting aside of the statements recorded during the two previous sessions of questioning by the CBI. “The questioning on both the previous occasions was not audio and video recorded. On both occasions, the Kadapa MP’s signature was not taken on the statements. CBI Superintendent of Police Ramsingh has edited Avinash Reddy’s statement at least 40 to 50 times. Since no signatures were taken, we suspect that Avinash Reddy’s statement could have been altered,” the advocate claimed.

YS Avinash Reddy, who filed his writ petition in the Telangana High Court on Thursday, sought a restraining order against any possible ‘extreme action’ by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the case.

The MP sought audio and video recording of his questioning by the CBI and in the presence of his advocate, a request he has repeatedly been making to the investigating agency. “Even though I requested several times that I be questioned in the presence of my advocate, the CBI has not obliged. The notice for questioning was issued under Section 160 CrPC. I request the honourable High Court to pass directions restraining the CBI from taking any ‘coercive steps’,” he stated in his writ petition.