Supreme Court unhappy with Telangana High Court for failing to decide bail plea of Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy; directs vacation bench to hear

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed a vacation bench of the Telangana High Court to decide the anticipatory bail of Kadapa Member of Parliament (MP) YS Avinash Reddy in connection with the YS Vivekananda Reddy murder case..A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and PS Narasimha took exception to the High Court failing to decide the plea despite earlier orders passed by the apex court to decide the matter.The Court also took exception to the conduct of the accused in not appearing before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)."We are not happy with the High Court not passing order after our order. How much time it takes to grant anticipatory bail? And the other thing we are not happy is CBI issues notice and you [Avinash Reddy] do not appear," Justice Narasimha told Senior Counsel V Giri..The apex court was hearing a plea Suneetha Reddy, daughter of murdered former Kadapa Member of Parliament (MP) YS Vivekananda Reddy, raising grievance against the delay by the Telangana High Court in this regard..A plea by YS Avinash Reddy, cousin of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, was also being heard seeking a direction to the vacation bench of the High Court to hear his bail plea..The Supreme Court had in April set aside a Telangana High Court order that had placed restrictions upon the CBI while interrogating murder accused Avinash Reddy.The High Court had directed the CBI to present its questions in printed form, circulate them in advance and tape its interrogation of the MP.The apex court had then remarked that such an order would amount to rewriting of criminal law jurisprudence and had termed the same as atrocious..On Tuesday, Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for Suneetha, pointed out that the accused created a law and order situation by not appearing for questioning."But he has the right to pursue his anticipatory bail application," Justice Narasimha had remarked.The bench, however, declined to grant any interim protection to Avinash Reddy against the CBI summons..Vivekananda Reddy was stabbed to death at his residence in Kadapa in March 2019. In 2020, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had transferred the investigation into the murder to the CBI.The Supreme Court in November transferred the trial in the murder case to a Special CBI Court in Hyderabad. On May 18 this year, the Supreme Court issued notice in a plea by Suneetha challenging the grant of regular bail by the Telangana High Court to another accused in the murder, T Gangi Reddy..The Supreme Court in January this year cancelled the default bail earlier granted to Gangi Reddy.The matter was then remanded the matter to the High Court for fresh consideration, on merits. The High Court then granted regular bail.The top court had on May 19 allowed the application filed by Suneetha seeking impleadment in the petition where her father's PA Krishna Reddy sought clarification of an earlier order that he is a 'victim' who would be entitled to challenge grant of pardon to accused in the case..[Read order]