Telangana HC grants anticipatory bail to YSRC MP Avinash Reddy in Ex-Minister murder case

Hyderabad: Telangana High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to ruling YSRC MP YS Avinash Reddy in connection with the murder of a former minister, who is a relative of the accused.

The court also directed Avinash Reddy not to leave the country without prior permission of the CBI, till the investigation was complete.

“The petitioner shall cooperate with the investigation and shall appear before the CBI Police on every Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm., till the end of June, 2023 and shall regularly appear as and when he is required for investigation,” Justice M Laxman said in his order.

Avinash Reddy, cousin of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is under the CBI scanner following the murder of Vivekananda Reddy in March 2019.

Y S Vivekananda Reddy is the uncle of the accused.

Avinash Reddy was asked to appear before CBI for questioning on May 19. However, he did not appear citing his mother's illness and treatment at a hospital as a reason. The investigating agency issued another notice to him asking to come before it on May 22.

Avinash Reddy has appeared before the CBI at least five times this year.

He had subsequently moved the Telangana High Court with the anticipatory bail petition.

Vivekananda Reddy, one of the brothers of the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was found murdered at his residence in Pulivendula in Kadapa district, on the night of March 15, 2019, weeks before the Assembly elections in the State.

The case was initially probed by a special investigation team (SIT) of the state crime investigation department, but was handed over to the CBI in July 2020.

The CBI filed a charge sheet in the murder case on October 26, 2021 and followed it up with a supplementary charge sheet on January 31, 2022.