The Telangana High Court order, which granted bail to T Gangi Reddy, a key accused in the YS Vivekananda Reddy murder case, has been stayed by the Supreme Court. A vacation bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and PS Narasimha has put a hold on the High Court's directive until July 14.
The stay was granted in response to a petition filed by Suneetha Nareddy, the daughter of YS Vivekananda Reddy, who is the uncle of the current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Suneetha Nareddy challenged the High Court's order, prompting the Supreme Court to intervene.
The bench, mindful of the importance of the case, decided not to rush the proceedings and scheduled a hearing for July 10, 2023, after the summer vacations.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had questioned the Telangana High Court's order, arguing that it was internally contradictory since it both canceled and allowed bail. In the contested order issued on April 27, 2023, Justice Chillakur Sumalatha directed Yerra Gangi Reddy to surrender to the CBI by May 5. However, the same order also stated that Gangi Reddy should be released on bail on July 1. The reasoning behind this decision was that the Supreme Court had given the CBI until June 30 to complete its investigation into the murder case, and after that point, it deemed it unnecessary to deny Gangi Reddy his liberty.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the petitioner Suneetha Nareddy, highlighted the CBI's concerns regarding the High Court order, stating that it set a bad precedent and criticized the state's handling of the investigation. Luthra pointed out that the Supreme Court had previously commented that it seemed the state was delaying the case and protecting the accused, which resulted in the default bail.
In light of the complexity and significance of the matter, the bench decided to postpone further action until July 14, 2023. During this time, the High Court's directive, which ordered Gangi Reddy's release on bail on July 1, will remain stayed.
Factual Background
YS Vivekananda Reddy, a prominent member of the Indian National Congress and brother of the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, was discovered murdered at his residence in Pulivendula, Kadapa district, in 2019. Initially, the case was investigated by a special investigation team (SIT) of the state crime investigation department. However, in July 2020, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation. The CBI filed a charge sheet in October 2021 and a supplementary charge sheet in January 2022.
Concerns regarding the fair trial and possible tampering of evidence led to the transfer of the murder trial from Andhra Pradesh to a special CBI court in Hyderabad. The Supreme Court made this decision in November of the previous year. The court acknowledged the apprehensions expressed by Vivekananda Reddy's wife and daughter and deemed it necessary to ensure a fair and impartial trial.
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TAGS: YS Vivekananda Reddy Indian National Congress Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister murdered Pulivendula Kadapa district special investigation team (SIT) Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charge sheet supplementary charge sheet transfer of trial fair trial tampering of evidence Supreme Court Hyderabad.
