Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s uncle YS Bhaskar Reddy in connection with its probe into the 2019 murder of his cousin and former MP YS Vivekananda Reddy.
Bhaskar Reddy, 72, is a former YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief in Pulivendula mandal in Andhra’s Cuddapah district, the YSR family stronghold from where he was arrested. His son, YS Avinash Reddy – the YSRCP MP from Cuddapah – is also being questioned by the CBI in connection with the murder.
YS Vivekananda Reddy, younger brother of late YS Rajasekhara Reddy – Jagan’s father and former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh – had previously served as Pulivendula MLA, Cuddapah MP and state agriculture minister. He was brutally murdered in the bathroom of his house in Pulivendula in March 2019, a few weeks before the state assembly elections. Since then this matter has been troubling the CM’s family.
The CBI has so far named at least four people as accused in its charge sheet. The agency had also arrested Uday Kumar Reddy, a close aide of Avinash Reddy, in this case last week.
In its reply filed in the court, the CBI has claimed that there was “political and power rivalry between the suspects and the deceased which led to the murder”. It further said that Rs 40 crore Betel Offered to kill YS Vivekananda Reddy.
On Sunday, a CBI team from Delhi under the leadership of Additional Superintendent of Police Mukesh Sharma took Bhaskar Reddy into custody from his residence. His wife was also informed about the arrest, says the arrest memo, a copy of which is with ThePrint.
Reddy has been “immediately informed about his role in the matter leading to his arrest. He will be produced before the special CBI court in Hyderabad,” says the memo, in which he has been named as an accused in the murder case. named in.
Bhaskar Reddy was reportedly questioned last year as well, and the CBI also served him a notice for questioning last month. However, he did not follow up with the agency citing prior commitments.
Terming his father’s arrest as ‘unexpected’, Avinash Reddy told the media on Sunday that he was at a loss for words. “Truth must prevail, justice must prevail,” he said.
Read also: This is how Jagan Reddy has turned into a political maestro in Andhra
‘a plot’
Initially, the Andhra Pradesh Special Investigation Team began investigating the murder and examined over 1,000 witnesses. But after nearly a year had passed into the investigation, the state high court expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of progress and handed over the case to the CBI in March 2020.
In November last year, the Supreme Court had transferred the case from a court in Cuddapah to a special CBI court in Hyderabad. This comes after Sunita Nareddy, daughter of the deceased, expressed concern over the “improper investigation” of the case in Andhra Pradesh.
Then, last month, the Supreme Court asked the CBI to expedite the investigation process and complete it by the end of April, adding that the agency must find out the concrete reasons and motives for the murder.
The wife of one of the accused in the case had moved the court citing delay in the investigation and seeking change of the investigating officer.
Avinash Reddy, who has been interrogated by the agency for at least five months, had also moved the Telangana High Court last month for anticipatory bail and requested that his examination be videographed by the CBI, on which the court and the CBI Both agreed.
The CBI, in its response submitted to the Telangana High Court on a separate petition filed by the family of one of the accused, had said that “Avinash Reddy, his father Bhaskar Reddy and their supporters” had “conspired” to kill Vivekananda. Reddy on political rivalry
According to reports, the CBI had also said that the deceased had opposed Avinash Reddy getting a Lok Sabha ticket from Cuddapah.
Avinash Reddy has argued in the court that the CBI did not have any concrete evidence other than the statements of the other accused to prove that he was involved in the murder.
They claimed in their petitions that “they had informed the police immediately after Vivekananda Reddy was found dead, his daughter Sunitha had not done so” but acted towards “hiding the evidence”.
Avinash also said that Sunita’s relationship with her father was strained since 2011, while alleging that the investigating officer was conducting an “improper investigation” in the case.
Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, an advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government, said in February that Avinash Reddy “had no role in the murder”.
(Editing by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Read also: How Congress became irrelevant in Andhra Pradesh in a span of just 7 years