Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Sunday arrested Y.S. Bhaskar Reddy, uncle of Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, in reference to its probe into the 2019 homicide of his cousin and former MP Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy.
Bhaskar Reddy, 72, is a former chief of the YSR Congress Get together (YSRCP) in Pulivendula mandal in Andhra’s Kadapa district, the YSR household’s stronghold, from the place he was arrested. His son, Y.S. Avinash Reddy — the YSRCP MP from Kadapa — can be being questioned by the CBI in reference to the homicide.
Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, the youthful brother of the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy — Jagan’s father and a former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh — had previously served as Pulivendula MLA, Kadapa MP and state agriculture minister. He was discovered brutally murdered within the lavatory of his home in Pulivendula in March 2019, simply weeks earlier than a state meeting election. The case has been troubling the CM’s household since then.
The CBI has thus far named at the very least 4 folks accused in its chargesheet. The company final week additionally arrested Uday Kumar Reddy, an in depth aide of Avinash Reddy, in reference to the case.
In responses filed in courtroom, the CBI has asserted that there was a “political and energy rivalry between the suspects and the deceased which led to the homicide”. It additional mentioned {that a} Rs 40-crore supari had been supplied to kill Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy.
On Sunday, a CBI workforce from Delhi led by extra superintendent of police Mukesh Sharma took Bhaskar Reddy into custody from his residence. His spouse was additionally notified in regards to the arrest, says the arrest memo, a duplicate of which ThePrint has accessed.
Reddy “has been knowledgeable in regards to the grounds of his arrest relating to his position within the immediate case. He shall be produced earlier than (the) particular CBI courtroom in Hyderabad,” says the memo, which names him one of many accused within the homicide case.
Bhaskar Reddy was reportedly questioned final 12 months too, and the CBI additionally served him notices to seem for interrogation final month. Nonetheless, he didn’t observe up with the company citing prior commitments.
Terming his father’s arrest “surprising”, Avinash Reddy Sunday informed the media that he was at a lack of phrases. “Fact should prevail, justice should prevail,” he mentioned.
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‘A conspiracy’
Initially, the Andhra Pradesh Particular Investigation workforce started a probe into the homicide and examined over 1,000 witnesses. However almost a 12 months into the investigation, the state excessive courtroom expressed dissatisfaction with the shortage of progress and entrusted the case to the CBI in March 2020.
In November final 12 months, the Supreme Court docket transferred the case to a particular CBI courtroom in Hyderabad from a courtroom in Kadapa. This got here after the deceased’s daughter, Suneetha Nareddy, expressed issues over “unfair investigation” of the matter in Andhra Pradesh.
Then, final month, the Supreme Court docket requested the CBI to expedite the investigation course of and full it by the top of April, including that the company should discover concrete causes and motives for the homicide.
The SC’s observations got here after the spouse of one of many accused within the case had moved courtroom citing delays within the probe and asking for a change of investigation officer.
Avinash Reddy, who the company has been questioning for at the very least 5 months, had additionally moved the Telangana Excessive Court docket final month for anticipatory bail and requested that his examination by the CBI be videographed, to which each the courtroom and CBI agreed.
The CBI, in certainly one of its responses submitted to the Telangana Excessive Court docket on a separate petition filed by the household of one of many accused, had mentioned that “Avinash Reddy, his father Bhaskar Reddy and their supporters” had “conspired” to kill Vivekananda Reddy over political rivalry.
In accordance with reviews, the CBI had additionally mentioned the deceased had opposed Avinash Reddy getting a Lok Sabha ticket from Kadapa.
Avinash Reddy has argued in courtroom that the CBI didn’t have any robust proof to indicate that he was concerned within the homicide, besides the statements of different accused.
He claimed in his petitions that whereas “he had knowledgeable the police quickly after Vivekananda Reddy was discovered lifeless, his daughter Suneetha had not executed the identical” however quite labored in direction of “hiding the proof”.
Avinash additionally mentioned Suneetha had had strained relations together with her father since 2011, whereas alleging that the investigating officer was conducting an “unfair probe” into the case.
Andhra Pradesh authorities adviser Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy had mentioned in February that Avinash Reddy “had no position within the homicide”.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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