Amaravati, Sep 24 (NationPress) A police officer from Kadapa district has delivered a legal notice to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, seeking a public apology in the Assembly and Rs 1.45 crore in compensation for what he describes as “groundless” accusations against him related to the murder of former minister Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy.

J. Shankariah, who was the Circle Inspector of Pulivendula at the time of Vivekananda Reddy's murder in 2019, directly served this notice to CM Naidu following repeated “malicious and untrue” statements made during the murder investigation.

The officer, currently assigned to the Vacancy Reserve (VR) in Kurnool Range, asserted that CM Naidu’s claims of his mishandling of the case and allowing evidence and bloodstains to be destroyed have severely impacted his reputation.

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

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

A week after the murder, Shankariah faced suspension for alleged dereliction of duty. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case in 2020, during which Shankariah recorded his statement.

He reportedly claimed that Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy and his aide Devireddy Shiva Shankar Reddy pressured him not to file a murder case and to prevent the body from undergoing a post-mortem examination. He also informed the CBI that he was coerced into not revealing the presence of injury marks on Vivekananda Reddy's body.

However, Shankariah did not present his statement before the magistrate. Subsequently, on October 6, 2021, the YSR Congress party government reinstated him.

The CBI later notified the relevant court that Shankariah had retracted his statement due to influence from the accused.

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

The 68-year-old former state minister and ex-MP was alone in his residence when unidentified individuals entered and killed him.

The CBI commenced its investigation into the case in 2020 upon the directive of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, following a petition from Vivekananda Reddy's daughter, Suneetha Reddy, who raised concerns about certain relatives.

In 2023, the CBI expedited the investigation by arresting Avinash Reddy's father, Y. S. Bhaskar Reddy, along with their associate, Uday Kumar Reddy.

Avinash Reddy, who was also implicated in the case, was granted anticipatory bail by the Telangana High Court.