Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy was informed about the ‘death’ of Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy ‘much before’ that information was conveyed to him around 6.15 a.m. on March 15, 2019, said the CBI authorities.
This was stated by them in an additional counter affidavit filed in Telangana High Court in response to the anticipatory bail petition filed by Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy in the sensational murder case that had been attracting wide attention of people for past nearly four years. The CBI officials stated that investigation into the ‘larger conspiracy’ aspect ‘revealed’ that the present Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh had been informed about the Vivekananda Reddy’s death much before 6.15 a.m. on that day.
Since Mr. Avinash Reddy ‘was active before and after commission of the murder’, “his role in informing about the death of Vivekananda Reddy to Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy is to be investigated”, they said in the counter affidavit opposing granting pre-arrest bail to the MP. The point whether the Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy was informed about the murder even before the news was broken to him by M.V. Krishna Reddy (personal assistant of Vivekananda Reddy) came up for discussion in the court of Justice M. Laxman of Telangana HC on Friday while he was hearing the anticipatory bail application moved by the MP.
Senior counsel L. Ravichander, appearing for Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter Suneetha Reddy (who got impleaded in the matter), presenting his contentions said the CBI was investigating the murder case from all angles. Vehemently opposing granting of anticipatory bail to the MP, the lawyer said investigators stumbled upon leads suggesting that the MP had made WhatsApp calls before and after the murder of Vivekananda Reddy.
Citing the CBI additional counter affidavit, Mr. Ravichander maintained analysis of the MP’s mobile phone Internet Protocol Detail Record (IPDR) that he had exchanged voice calls just before the murder. He also had WhatsApp conversations from 4.11 a.m. on the day of the murder. CBI authorities probing the larger conspiracy angle were verifying if the present AP CM was informed about the murder before it was conveyed to him by the victim’s PA, he said.
At this juncture, Justice Laxman sought to know if the present AP CM was informed about the murder before 6.15 a.m. on the day of the murder. “That would be clarified by the CBI counsel while presenting his arguments,” the advocate said. Though Saturday was holiday for the HC, the judge said he would hear the CBI counsel’s contentions on Saturday at 10.30 a.m. to expeditiously adjudicate the matter.
