Accused in Vivekananda Reddy murder shifted to Hyderabad Jail

Hyderabad, Feb 10:  Three of the accused in the sensational murder case of former Andhra Pradesh minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy were shifted to Chanchalguda Jail here on Friday after they were produced before the CBI Special Court, which adjourned the hearing to March 10.

Amid tight security, Sunil Yadav, Umashankar Reddy and Devireddy Shivshankar Reddy were shifted to Chanchalguda Jail after the court extended their judicial custody.

Earlier, they were brought from Kadapa Jail to Hyderabad and produced before the CBI Court at Nampally Court Complex.

Erra Gangi Reddy, who is on bail and driver Dastagiri, who has turned an approver, also appeared in the court.

This was the first time after the Supreme Court transferred the case from Kadapa to Hyderabad that the accused appeared in the court here.

Shivshankar Reddy's counsel brought to the notice of the court that he has to appear in a court in Kadapa in connection with another case. The judge asked him to file a petition for the permission.

Vivekananda Reddy, paternal uncle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was found murdered mysteriously at his residence at Pulivendula in Kadapa district on March 15, 2019.

The 68-year-old former state minister and former MP, brother of former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him. He was murdered hours before he was to launch YSR Congress Party's election campaign in Kadapa.

Though three Special Investigation Teams (SITs) conducted the probe, they failed to solve the mystery.

The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Sunitha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives.

The CBI filed a chargesheet in the murder case on October 26, 2021 and followed it up with a supplementary charge sheet on January 31, 2022

In November last year, the Supreme Court transferred to a CBI court in Hyderabad the trial and probe into the larger conspiracy behind the murder. The apex court observed that doubts raised by Sunitha Reddy about getting a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh were reasonable.

Stepping up the pace of investigation, the CBI on January 28 questioned Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy, more than four-and-a-half hours.

Avinash Reddy is nephew of Vivekananda Reddy and cousin of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.