The Supreme Court on Tuesday transferred the trial in the murder case of former minister of combined Andhra Pradesh and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s uncle Y S Vivekananda Reddy to a Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court in Hyderabad.
Acting on a petition filed by Viveka’s daughter Dr Narreddy Sunitha Reddy, a division bench of the Supreme Court Justices M R Shah and B V Nagarathna, said it was a case to be transfer to a state other than Andhra Pradesh, in order to expedite the CBI probe into the murder case.
"It cannot be said that apprehension of the petitioner that there may not be fair trial or that there is larger conspiracy is imaginary. Petitioner has fundamental right to get justice,” the bench felt said.
The Supreme Court also said the case was being transferred to Hyderabad as justice need not only be done but also seen to be done. “Criminal trial, if biased, criminal justice will be at stake."
The bench further ordered that all chargesheets and supplementary chargesheets will be transferred from Kadapa to Hyderabad.
The first information report (FIR) alleging a larger conspiracy surrounding Reddy's death and destruction of evidence in the case will be probed by the CBI.
Viveka, who was part of the Indian National Congress, left the party to join the YSR Congress party. He served as agriculture minister in the combined Andhra Pradesh government.
On March 15, 2019, Vivekananda Reddy was hacked to death at his residence in Pulivendula. In 2020, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had transferred the case to the CBI.