Vivekananda Reddy murder: Cop serves legal notice to CM Naidu, seeks apology and Rs 1.45 crore

Kadapa police officer J. Shankariah has served a legal notice to CM Chandrababu Naidu, seeking a public apology and Rs 1.45 crore over alleged false statements in the Vivekananda Reddy murder case. Investigation details include CBI probes and arrests of key accused.

Amaravati: A police officer from Kadapa district has sent a legal notice to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, demanding a public apology in the Assembly and Rs 1.45 crore compensation for making “baseless” allegations against him in connection with the murder of former minister Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy.

J. Shankariah, who was Circle Inspector of Pulivendula when Vivekananda Reddy was murdered in 2019, served legal notice directly to Chief Minister Naidu for repeated “malicious and false” statements during the investigation in the murder case.

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The police official, who is currently serving in Vacancy Reserve (VR) in Kurnool Range, stated that CM Naidu’s allegations that he mishandled the case and allowed evidence and bloodstains to be destroyed damaged his reputation.

The notice, sent through advocate G. Dharneshwar Reddy on September 18, demanded a public apology in the Assembly and Rs 1.45 crore in compensation for damage to his personal reputation.

After the murder of Vivekananda Reddy, the uncle of former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, N. Chandrababu Naidu had alleged that in the presence of the Circle Inspector, the accused “wiped out” the evidence by clearing the blood stains.

A week after the murder, Shankariah was suspended for dereliction of duty. After the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation into the murder case in 2020, Shankariah had recorded his statement.

He had reportedly alleged that Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy and his aide Devireddy Shiva Shankar Reddy threatened him not to book the murder case and not to send the body for post-mortem examination.

He also reportedly told the CBI that he was also pressurised not to reveal to anyone that there were injury marks on Vivekananda Reddy’s body. However, Shankariah did not come forward to record his statement before the magistrate.

A few days later, on October 6, 2021, the then government of the YSR Congress party lifted his suspension. The CBI brought to the notice of the concerned court that Shankariah went back on his statement as he was influenced by the accused.

Vivekananda Reddy, brother of former chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), and uncle of Jagan Mohan Reddy, was murdered at his residence in Pulivendula on March 15, 2019, weeks before the elections.

The 68-year-old former state minister and former MP was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him. The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 at the direction of the Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter, Suneetha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives.

Expediting the probe into the case, the CBI in 2023 arrested Avinash Reddy’s father, Y. S. Bhaskar Reddy and their follower, Uday Kumar Reddy. Avinash Reddy, who was also named as an accused in the case, was granted anticipatory bail by the Telangana High Court.