Telangana High Court reserves verdict on the bail of Gajjala Uma Shankar Reddy in Andhra Pradesh politician murder case
By legal correspondent
Hyderabad: Justice K of the Telangana High Court on the bail plea filed by Gajjala Uma Shankar Reddy, implicated in the high-profile murder case of Andhra Pradesh politician YS Vivekananda Reddy. Laxman reserved the order on Tuesday.
During the proceedings, Uma Shankar’s lawyer Narasi Reddy argued that his client was not involved in the crime, claiming that the identification made by watchman Ranganna was wrong. He highlighted the chronology of Ranganna’s 161 statements and pointed out the contradictions between the testimony provided by the approver, Dastagiri, and the confessional statement of co-accused Sunil Yadav. The lawyer argued that the CCTV footage presented by the investigating agency does not belong to Uma Shankar. Furthermore, he stressed that his client has been in custody for more than three years and urged the court to grant him bail, saying there is no threat to the ongoing investigation or trial from Uma Shankar, a small-time businesswoman. .
In protest, CBI special counsel Anil Tanwar and lawyer S Gautam, representing the deceased’s daughter Sunita Nareddy, urged the court to deny bail to Uma Shankar, citing serious allegations against her. They outlined claims of his involvement in planning and carrying out the murder, as well as attempts to destroy evidence. Tanwar cited forensic laboratory reports that confirmed the authenticity of the CCTV footage involving Uma Shankar, while Gautam cited allegations of witness intimidation and witness K. Pointed to the circumstances surrounding the case, including the suspicious death of Gangi Reddy. Gautam further pointed to attempts by the accused to intimidate key witnesses, including Sunita and her husband and CBI investigating officer Ram Singh, by filing cases against them. He said senior IAS officer Ajay Kallam had sought to withdraw his statement from the case, but he stopped pursuing the case after the CBI presented the recorded evidence in the court. The lawyer said the CBI failed to look into the complaint of threat made by approver Dastagiri, thereby failing to reach any conclusion on the perception of threat in the case.
The prosecution argued that the arguments raised by the defense were more suitable for trial rather than consideration at the bail stage. Concluding their arguments, the lawyers argued that no case is made out for bail and allowing Uma Shankar’s release could compromise the integrity of the trial, ultimately leading to a denial of justice. The court’s decision on the bail application is awaited.
2. A two-judge bench of the Telangana High Court has reserved its judgment on a writ petition challenging the legality of the police encounter in which two CPI (Maoist) leaders, Patel Sudhakar Reddy and Venkataiah, were killed. Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Srinivas Rao was chaired by Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC) President Professor S. The bench is considering a petition filed by Seshaiah, who has alleged that the encounter was fake. The incident in question occurred on May 23, 2009 in Warangal district, where police reported the arrest and subsequent killing of two Maoist leaders in what they claimed was the scene of a shootout. Police allege that a team conducting a search operation in the Lawwala forest area encountered around 25 Maoists who opened fire despite orders to surrender, resulting in a gunfight that lasted for about half an hour. The petitioner argues that the encounter was fabricated and demands prosecution on criminal charges against the police officers involved. He asserted that the actions of the Tadwal police station house officer and the MGM hospital superintendent, who supervised the post-mortem examination, were illegal and arbitrary. District Superintendent of Police VC Sajjanar defended the police actions, saying they were based on intelligence regarding Maoist movements and were taken in self-defense. After the initial post-mortem at the Ethurunagram Government Hospital, the High Court ordered a second investigation at the MGM Hospital in Warangal, and directed that the procedure be videographed to ensure transparency. The state is currently awaiting the final post-mortem report and intends to submit a closure report to the criminal court, where the case is pending.
