Ajeya Kallam, Principal Adviser to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has filed a writ petition in the Telangana High Court praying for a declaration of the action of CBI, in not recording his true statement in the Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy murder case, as illegal and for its exclusion from the file of the Principal Judge for CBI cases, Hyderabad.
He stated that he had expressed his willingness to be examined under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code by an individual whom he identified as CBI SP Vikas Kumar on the basis of a WhatsApp message sent by him, in connection with the investigation of the murder of the former MP Vivekananda Reddy, though he had no prior information/notice about it except the said WhatsApp message.
He claimed to have answered the questions asked by the Investigating Officer (IO) to the best of his ability and recollection and that he did not know the identity of another person who was taking dictation from the IO. Also, he mentioned that his statement was neither read out nor its content was shown and his examination was not audio-video recorded to the best of his knowledge.
Further, Mr. Kallam said the fact of his examination by the CBI was published in a vernacular daily and the report suggested that he told the CBI that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy (then Leader of the Opposition) informed him on March 15, 2019 about the demise of Vivekananda Reddy due to a heart attack.
He submitted to the court that he had an apprehension / suspicion after the said report triggered a widespread discussion, that his statement to the first individual (Mr. Vikas Kumar) was not the same statement recorded by the CBI, but he had no means to verify it as a copy of it was not available on public record, which tied his hands from taking any action.
Subsequently, the Principal Special Judge for CBI Cases, Hyderabad took cognizance of the offence and a chargesheet filed thereof had a copy of his statement attached to it. A perusal of the statement filed by the CBI showed that it was a completely distorted version that also contained several falsities. Besides, he said it should be noted that the individual who had examined him was different from the one whose signature appeared on the statement filed by the CBI.
Mr. Kallam said that when the meeting called by Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy to discuss the preparation of the manifesto of the YSR Congress Party was in progress, an attendant knocked the door and the OSD to Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who saw him (the attendant) came back and whispered something to Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who then immediately got up and expressed shock at the death of Vivekananda Reddy.
He denied having stated to the CBI anything about Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy being called by his spouse. “Therefore, the CBI version of his statement is entirely false and prejudicial to the investigation,” Mr. Kallam added.
