The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) postponed questioning of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP YS Avinash Reddy from Kadapa in former Andhra Pradesh Minister YS Vivekananda Reddy's murder case to Tuesday evening as his petition for anticipatory bail was being heard by the Telangana High Court.
The CBI, which had directed Avinash Reddy to appear before the CBI regional office at 10.30 a.m., postponed the hearing on the suggestion of the Telangana High Court. The agency had earlier deferred the MP's questioning to Monday in view of the hearing.
Avinash Reddy's counsel pleaded with the court to direct the CBI not to arrest him. The agency submitted to the court that, if necessary, they would arrest Avinash Reddy.
The CBI counsel told the court that they suspect Avinash Reddy's involvement in the murder conspiracy. The central agency believes that he played a key role in causing the disappearance of evidence from the scene of the crime.
On Sunday, Avinash Reddy's father, YS Bhaskar Reddy, was arrested in the Vivekananda Reddy murder case. In its petition seeking custody of Bhaskar Reddy, the CBI has named Avinash Reddy as a co-accused.
The agency has alleged that Bhaskar Reddy, along with co-accused D. Siva Shankar Reddy, Gangi Reddy, G. Uday Kumar Reddy and Avinash Reddy played key roles in causing the disappearance of evidence from the scene of the murder. For the first time, the CBI has named Avinash Reddy as the accused in the case.
Avinash Reddy, the cousin of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has been questioned by the CBI four times during the last couple of months. However, his statements were recorded as a witness.
Following his father's arrest on Sunday, Avinash Reddy alleged that the CBI ignored some key facts in the case and was treating them as the accused.
Vivekananda Reddy, brother of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of present Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was found murdered at his residence in Pulivendula of Kadapa district on the night of 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 the Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy's daughter, Suneetha Reddy, who raised suspicions about some relatives.
The Supreme Court transferred the case to Hyderabad in November last year, observing that the doubts raised by Suneetha Reddy about getting a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh were reasonable.
(With IANS inputs)