Andhra ex-Min murder: SC stays bail of accused

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a part of the Telangana High Court order asking a trial court to enlarge on bail on July 1 a man accused of involvement in the murder of former Andhra Pradesh minister YS Vivekananda Reddy.

A vacation bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and PS Narasimha, which posted the matter for further hearing on July 14, said it was staying the part of the high court’s April 27 order directing the trial court to enlarge accused T Gangi Reddy alias Yerra Gangi Reddy on bail.

The bench was hearing two petitions, including the one filed by Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter, Suneetha Narreddy, challenging the high court order granting conditional bail to T Gangi Reddy, while allowing a plea for its cancellation.

The other petition was filed by T Gangi Reddy challenging the high court’s order cancelling the bail.

“Re-list on July 14. Till the next date, the following part of the order dated April 27 passed by the HC shall remain stayed,” the bench said.

During the hearing on Friday, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Suneetha, told the bench that the CBI has filed its counter affidavit on her plea. He said the CBI has said in its counter that the HC order is a “bad precedent”. “We will take it up after vacation. The last portion (of the order), we will stay that,” the bench said.

On May 24 hearing, the CBI had termed as “inherently contradictory” the HC order granting bail to the accused and told the bench that it supports Suneetha’s plea challenging this verdict.

“We have never heard of it that the order which cancels the bail allows the bail. How is it possible? Inherently contradictory,” Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, appearing for the CBI, had told the bench.