HC reserved the orders in Avinash Reddy\'s plea of not being arrested by CBI
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Monday reserved orders in the applications filed by Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy, seeking directions to the CBI not to take coercive steps against him in the case pertaining to murder of his uncle, Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy.
Justice K. Lakshman heard the contentions of Avinash Reddy, CBI and Dr N. Suneetha Reddy, daughter of the slain leader. The judge has extended the earlier interim orders directing the CBI not to take coercive steps against him till the pronouncement of the order.
The contention of Avinash Reddy was that the CBI was trying to project him as the main conspirator.
Senior counsel T. Niranjan Reddy, representing him, argued that the CBI was not investigating the role of N. Rajasekhar Reddy, son-in-law of Vivekananda Reddy and his second wife Shamim. He said Vivekananda Reddy had married a Muslim woman in 2010 and they had a son. As a result of his second marriage, his family had differences, including over financial transactions. Vivekananda Reddy was killed due to property disputes with his family, senior counsel argued.
Asking the CBI to investigate this angle, senior counsel submitted that his client had never declared or given a statement that Vivekananda Reddy had died due to heart attack.
He appealed to the court to give some exemptions to Avinash Reddy in appearing before the CBI on Tuesday as he had to attend Parliament. The High Court refused.
The CBI submitted the case diary a sealed cover. The testimony of 35 witnesses, 10 documents, some photographs and hard disks were placed before the court, apart from the letter found at the murder place and the FSL report. CBI counsel submitted that Avinash Reddy was also accused of destroying evidence in the case.
The judge asked the CBI why the petitioner's father Bhaskar Reddy was called to Kadapa after the trial of the case was transferred to Hyderabad. The CBI told the court that they had never called him.
Posani Venkateshwarlu, counsel representing Dr Suneetha Reddy, submitted that the allegations made by Avinash Reddy against the CBI and her were baseless as he was only trying to divert the case from the main issue. In her implead petition, she mentioned that Avinash Reddy was the main conspirator in the murder. “How could a person like Avinash Reddy reach within two minutes of being informed of the murder,” Dr Suneetha Reddy asked in her petition. She also mentioned that one Gangadhar was being persuaded by Avinash to confess
