AP HC refuses bail to Vivekananda Reddy murder accused

AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh High court on Monday dismissed the bail petitions of Y Sunil Yadav, T Gangi Reddy and G Uma Shankar Reddy, the accused in YS Vivekananda Reddy's murder case. Concurring with the argument of the CBI that the accused might influence the witnesses in the case if set free, the high court refused bail to them.

The three accused had approached the high court for relief in June this year after the sessions court in Kadapa denied them bail. In their petitions, they had also challenged the judgment of the Kadapa session court over the pardon given to another accused Shaik Dastagiri.

Senior counsels S Niranjan Reddy and B Adinarayanan Rao, arguing for the petitioners in high court, claimed that the lower court blundered in its verdict by ignoring the facts and circumstances. They questioned the pardon given to Shaik Dastagiri, who in turn became an approver in the case. They further blamed the CBI for intentionally hiding the evidence collected during the investigation.

Niranjan Reddy said that it was Dastagiri who received Rs one crore for eliminating Vivekananda Reddy besides himself buying the weapon used for murder.

In response, CBI counsel A Chennakeshavulu defended the agency's stand by stating Dastagiri's evidence is crucial as he played the key role right from hatching the plan to committing murder. But granting of pardon is between the person and the court concerned, he maintained.

Hearing both the arguments, Justice Ch Manavendranath Roy dismissed the bail petitions of the three accused. He stated that the CBI had no further evidence to provide and upheld the sessions court judgment in granting pardon to Dastagiri.