CBI opposes bail to Avinash Reddy, seeks his custody

The CBI, in its supplementary counter affidavit filed before the high court, said there were several issues which need to be found out by questioning Avinash Reddy.

Hyderabad

YSR Congress Party MP YS Avinash Reddy’s counsel Uma Maheshwar Rao said there was no need for taking the MP into custody as there is no evidence against him in the Vivekananda Reddy murder case. (PTI)

While strongly opposing plea of YSR Congress MP from Kadapa Y S Avinash Reddy for anticipatory bail petition, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday appealed to the Telangana high court to give permission to take the MP into custody for interrogation in connection with the murder of his uncle and former minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy, people familiar with the matter said.

The CBI, in its supplementary counter affidavit filed before the high court, said there were several issues which need to be found out by questioning Avinash Reddy. “We need to know whether it was the MP who had informed his cousin and present Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy about Vivekananda Reddy’s murder in the early hours of March 15, 2019,” the agency said.

Investigation by the CBI had revealed that Jagan had come to know about the death of Vivekananda Reddy much before it was officially declared by the police. “We have to question Avinash Reddy to unearth the conspiracy, but he is not cooperating with us. He has been dodging interrogation for the last two weeks on various pretexts,” the CBI said.

Since the Supreme Court had set a deadline of June 30 to complete the probe into the murder of Vivekananda Reddy, the CBI requested the high court’s intervention in directing Avinash Reddy to appear before the agency for interrogation. “So, we request the court not to give any bail to the MP so that we can take him into custody for questioning,” the agency said in the affidavit.

The high court deferred the arguments of the CBI to Saturday, after it heard the petitions of Avinash Reddy and Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter N Sunitha Reddy.

Avinash Reddy’s counsel Uma Maheshwar Rao said there was no need for taking the MP into custody as there is no evidence against him in the Vivekananda Reddy murder case. “The CBI had not mentioned him as an accused in its charge sheet nor had the confession statement of one of the accused Dastagiri had directly mentioned him as the conspirator,” he said.

Sunitha Reddy’s counsel L Ravichander said Avinash Reddy had been dodging arrest on one pretext or the other and was intimidating the CBI with the help of his followers, who had camped in Kurnool to prevent his arrest. “He is a powerful leader and could influence the witnesses. Hence, he cannot be granted anticipatory bail,” he argued.