The Supreme Court has overturned the Telangana High Court's order granting protection from arrest to Lok Sabha member YS Avinash Reddy and directing the CBI to investigate the murder case of YS Vivekananda Reddy in a specific manner. The bench, consisting of CJI DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha, stated that such orders from the High Court can seriously harm investigations. During the hearing, Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Sunitha Reddy, argued that the High Court's instruction for the CBI to provide printed or written questions to Reddy was "absurd" and not a standard practice in investigations. Luthra added that the process was becoming futile and unprecedented. In the previous hearing, the Chief Justice had commented that the High Court's directions were "atrocious and unacceptable" and had suspended the order.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Reddy, argued that the petitioner was distorting the case by suggesting that the High Court directed the CBI to provide Reddy with the questions. Rohatgi clarified that the CBI had never given the transcript of the questionnaire in advance and that the High Court had only allowed the questions to be printed if they were repetitive. However, CJI DY Chandrachud expressed dissatisfaction with the order and questioned the need for the CBI if such standards were followed. He added that such orders set a precedent for all cases where the CBI and ED are investigating and may lead to different yardsticks. The bench subsequently passed an order dismissing the High Court order as it "obstructed the investigation" and noted that it had made premature findings. The court also expressed that such orders could cause severe harm to the investigation and there was no justification for a person under investigation to have written or printed questions.
TAGS: India YS Vivekananda Reddy YS Rajasekhara Reddy Indian National Congress murder case Central Bureau of Investigation Avinash Reddy high court trial Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh special investigation team charge sheet summons arrest protection fair trial apprehensions SIT Kadapa district Pulivendula.
