YS Vivekananda murder case: CBI continues to grill MP Avinash Reddy

Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) continued questioning Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy, his father YS Bhaskar Reddy and their follower Uday Kumar Reddy for a third day on Friday in former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy's murder case.

While Avinash Reddy appeared before the CBI officials, his father and Uday continued to be grilled for the third day in CBI custody.

The duo was brought from Chanchalguda Jail to the CBI office. A court had sent them to six-day custody of CBI.

The CBI officials were questioning the accused about the reasons for the murder, events of the day when the crime was committed and their movements on the day.

Avinash Reddy, cousin of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Redddy, has to appear daily before the CBI till April 25, as per the direction of the Telangana High Court.

This was the fifth time that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP appeared before the CBI.

The Telangana High Court had on Tuesday directed the CBI not to arrest Avinash Reddy till April 25.

In its interim order on anticipatory bail petition of the MP, the court directed him to appear before the CBI daily till April 25.

The CBI had summoned Avinash Reddy for questioning on April 17 but the agency twice deferred the questioning due to hearing of his anticipatory bail petition.

The final order on the anticipatory bail plea will be delivered on April 25.

Bhaskar Reddy was arrested by the CBI on April 16 while his follower Uday Kumar Reddy was arrested on April 14 in Pulivendula town of Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh. Both were brought to Hyderabad where a court sent them to judicial custody.

Vivekananda Reddy, brother of former chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and uncle of Jagan Mohan Reddy, was murdered at his residence in Pulivendula on March 15, 2019, a few days before the elections.

The 68-year-old former state minister and former MP was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him.

The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Suneetha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives.

The Supreme Court transferred the case to Hyderabad in November last year after Suneetha Reddy raised doubts about getting a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh.

With the Supreme Court setting April 30 as the deadline for the CBI to complete its investigation, the agency has expedited the probe with the arrest of Bhaskar Reddy and Uday Kumar Reddy and questioning of Avinash Reddy.