Vivekananda Reddy murder case: SC issues notice on plea challenging anticipatory bail to YSR Cong MP
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from YSR Congress Party MP Y S Avinash Reddy and the CBI on a plea moved by the daughter of late MP Y S Vivekananda Reddy, challenging a Telangana High Court order that granted him anticipatory bail in the murder case of the former parliamentarian.
A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and M M Sundresh listed the matter for hearing on July 3.
The Telangana High Court granted anticipatory bail to Avinash Reddy on May 31 and directed him not to leave the country without the CBI's permission till the investigation was complete.
"The petitioner shall cooperate with the investigation and appear before the CBI every Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm till the end of June 2023, and shall regularly appear as and when he is required for investigation," the high court had said.
The petitioner shall be released on bail in the event of his arrest by the CBI on the execution of a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh with two sureties for a like sum each to the satisfaction of the federal agency, the high court order had said.
Avinash Reddy, a cousin of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, is under the CBI scanner and has been examined by the agency several times this year.
Avinash Reddy's father Y S Bhaskar Reddy was arrested by the CBI on April 16 in connection with the killing of Vivekananda Reddy.
Vivekananda Reddy, one of the brothers of late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was found murdered at his residence in Pulivendula in Kadapa district on the night of March 15, 2019, weeks before the Assembly polls in the southern state.
The case was initially probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state Crime Investigation Department (CID), but was handed over to the CBI in July 2020.
The CBI filed a charge sheet in the case on October 26, 2021 and followed it up with a supplementary charge sheet on January 31, 2022.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses defence minister in surprise announcement
Jerusalem, Nov 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the Hamas group.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission."
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
