HYDERABAD, April 20 (IANS) YS Avinash Reddy, Member of Parliament for Kadapa, was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the second consecutive day on Thursday in the murder case of ex-minister YS Vivekananda Reddy.
Avinash Reddy, who was roasted for eight hours on Wednesday, appeared in front of the agency at its regional office here at 10:30 am.
CBI officials were also questioning YS Bhaskar Reddy’s father Avinash Reddy and another accused Uday Kumar Reddy for the second day. The duo is brought from Chanchalguda Jail to the CBI office.
On the first day, CBI officials questioned them separately and it is not clear if Avinash Reddy will be questioned in the presence of his father and Uday Kumar Reddy.
The CBI team collects information from the accused about the causes of the killing, the events of the day the crime was committed and their movements on the day.
Avinash Reddy, cousin of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Redddy, has to appear daily before CBI till April 25, as directed by the Telangana High Court.
This was the fifth time that a member of parliament from the Yemeni National Congress Party (YSRCP) had appeared before the CBI.
The Telangana High Court on Tuesday ordered the FBI not to arrest Avinash Reddy until April 25.
In its interim order on the MP’s anticipatory bail petition, the court directed him to appear before the CBI every day until April 25.
CBI summoned Avinash Reddy for questioning on April 17, but the agency postponed the questioning twice due to hearing the expected bail petition.
The final order on the anticipatory bail application will be delivered on April 25th.
On Tuesday, the CBI sent Bhaskar Reddy and Uday Kumar Reddy to CBI custody for six days. They will be questioned every day between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm
Bhaskar Reddy was arrested by CBI on April 16 while his follower Uday Kumar Reddy was arrested on April 14 in Polivendola town in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. Both were brought to Hyderabad where the court sent them into judicial custody.
Vivekananda Reddy, brother of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of Jagan Mohan Reddy, was murdered at his residence in Polvindula on 15 March 2019, a few days before the elections.
The 68-year-old former Minister of State and former MP was alone in his home when unknown assailants broke in and killed him.
The CBI took up the investigation of the case in 2020 on the direction of the Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition from Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter, Sunitha Reddy, which raised suspicions about some relatives.
The Supreme Court referred the case to Hyderabad in November last year after Sunitha Reddy raised doubts about getting a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh.
With the Supreme Court setting April 30 as the deadline for the CBI to complete its investigations, the agency expedited the investigation by arresting Bhaskar Reddy and Uday Kumar Reddy and questioning Avinash Reddy.
– Jans
ms / amb /
