Telangana HC adjourns Avinash anticipatory bail plea

HYDERABAD: The saga of the Central Bureau of Investigation’s insistence of YSRC MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy’s arrest and his pursuit of legal remedies continued on Friday but due to paucity of time the hearing in the anticipatory bail petition were adjourned to Saturday.

The CBI in an additional affidavit filed opposing the anticipatory bail of Avinash Reddy said, “It is submitted that further investigation on the larger conspiracy aspect revealed that Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the present Chief Minister of AP, had been informed about the death of Vivekananda Reddy in the early hours of March 15, 2019, much before the information about the death broke out by M.V. Krishna Reddy at around 6.15 am (sic).”

Further, it said, “Since Avinash Reddy was active before and after the commission of murder, his role in informing about the death to Jagan is to be investigated (sic).”

It said that the IPDR (Internet Protocol Detail Records) analysis of the mobile phone of Avinash Reddy had revealed that he was active on WhatsApp and had exchanged voice calls just before the murder between 12.27 am and 1,10 am and from 4.11 am after the murder took place.

The CBI brought to the court’s notice of Avinash Reddy making every attempt to avoid his attendance before it and creating hurdles by making his men squat on the roads when the former went to arrest him in Kurnool.

The CBI said Avinash Reddy’ was necessary because he was evasive in his replies, did not cooperate with the investigation, his statements were inconsistent and he could reveal the larger conspiracy behind the murder.

Responding to the sensational twist in the case, with the CBI dragging in Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy into the murder case, counsel of Jagan Mohan Reddy warned of severe legal action against the probe agency.

Sources close to the Chief Minister said his counsel had been suspecting a conspiracy behind CBI filing affidavit.

On Friday, Justice M. Laxman of the Telangana High Court heard arguments till 6 pm. Senior counsel Umamaheshwara Rao appearing for Avinash Reddy put forward his arguments for more than five hours by trying to establish how the CBI was deliberately trying to arrest the MP.

Senior counsel L. Ravichander, appearing for Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter Dr Suneetha Narreddy, submitted that Avinash Reddy had been playing mindgames to escape from the case and was concocting new stories and theories including one about the second marriage of the victim.

Ravichander also brought to the notice of the court that police officer Shankaraiah, in his statement to the CBI, was categorical that Avinash Reddy had initially maintained that Vivekananda Reddy had died of a heart attack. The police officer also revealed that Avinash Reddy’s followers prevented police from video-recording the body which was full of blood stains.

As CBI counsel requested more time to submit his arguments, Justice Laxman adjourned the hearing to Saturday.