The Telangana High Court has granted anticipatory bail to YSR Congress MP Y S Avinash Reddy in the murder case of former Andhra Pradesh minister YS Vivekananda Reddy. According to IANS reports, the special vacation bench of the high court, which completed the hearing last week, pronounced its order on Wednesday. The court granted anticipatory bail to Avinash Reddy, subject to certain conditions. It directed that the MP should not leave the country without prior permission from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The court directed Avinash Reddy to cooperate with the CBI in its probe and appear before it every Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm till the end of June 2023 and regularly as and when he is required for investigation.


The court also ruled that in the event of the petitioner's arrest by the CBI, he shall be released on bail after executing a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh with two sureties for a similar sum each. The high court had taken up the hearing after the Supreme Court expressed displeasure over the delay in passing an order over Avinash Reddy's anticipatory bail petition.


 YS Avinash Reddy, the cousin of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, had failed to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning three times this month. The MP had not appeared before the CBI on May 16 and May 19 in Hyderabad.


On May 16, he cited prior commitments in his parliamentary constituency as the reason and sought four days time. On May 19, Avinash Reddy informed the CBI about his inability to attend the session due to his mother falling ill. She was admitted to a hospital in Kurnool, and the MP was also staying there.


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The central agency had issued a fresh notice on May 19, directing him to appear before it at its Hyderabad office on May 22.


Amid reports of CBI officials reaching Kurnool for possible arrest, he wrote to the CBI, seeking exemption from appearance until May 27 because of his mother's condition.


Vivekananda Reddy, the brother of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of Jagan Mohan Reddy, was found murdered at his residence in Pulivendula, Kadapa district, on the night of March 15, 2019, just days before the elections.


In a related development, YS Bhaskar Reddy, Avinash Reddy's father and a cousin of Rajasekhara Reddy, was arrested by the CBI last month. Avinash Reddy has refuted the allegations against him and his father, accusing the CBI of overlooking crucial facts in the case.