NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday set aside a portion of the Telangana high court’s controversial order that granted bail to a man accused of killing former Andhra Pradesh MP YS Vivekananda Reddy. In the April 27 order, the high court cancelled default bail granted in June 2019 to murder accused T Gangi Reddy with immediate effect and then granted him bail with effect from July 1.
“We will post these matters in July. The last part of the order directing the special judge (CBI) to enlarge the accused on bail on July 1, 2023 shall remain stayed,” a vacation bench of justices JK Maheshwari and PS Narasimha said on Friday on a petition filed by YS Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter Suneetha Narreddy.
The bench, which heard Suneetha Narreddy’s plea on May 24 to cancel bail to the man accused of killing her father, frowned on the high court cancelling and granting bail in the same order.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which was assigned the case on the orders of the high court earlier had also supported Narreddy’s plea, saying it was erroneous and that it “pre-judged, pre-empted and encroached upon the power or discretion of the Supreme Court under Article 142.”
The agency said that the high court order amounted to “temporary suspension of bail” for a period till July 1 and was passed without considering the grave charges against Gangi Reddy, who was found by the high court to have threatened and intimidated witnesses while on bail.
In its controversial order of April 27, the high court directed Gangi Reddy to surrender on or before May 5. “On his surrender, he shall be remanded to judicial custody till June 30, 2023 which is the outer limit fixed by the Supreme Court for completion of investigation by CBI,” it said.
“In case, the accused … fails to surrender before the court concerned on or before the said date, CBI is at liberty to take him into custody..,” it added.
The high court also said that “the (trial) court … is directed to enlarge the petitioner on bail on July 1, 2023, on his executing a personal bond for a sum of ₹1 lakh with two sureties for the like sum each to the satisfaction of the said court.”