In a relief to YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders—former minister Jogi Ramesh and former MLA Devineni Avinash—the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted them anticipatory bail in connection with cases related to the 2022 attacks on the residence of current Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) office.
The Supreme Court reviewed petitions filed by 20 individuals, including Jogi Ramesh and Devineni Avinash. After hearing the arguments, the court granted anticipatory bail to all 20 petitioners, including the two leaders.
During the hearing, the government’s counsel argued that the accused had not sought bail or anticipatory bail for the past three years and had only approached the court after the change in government.
The counsel claimed that the accused were aware of their wrongdoing and feared exposure under the new administration.
He further stated that they had attacked the residence of a former Chief Minister who was under Z+ security protection and were also implicated in an SC/ST Atrocities Act case.
The government’s counsel specifically accused Devineni Avinash of being the key conspirator and mastermind behind the attack on the TDP office, alleging that he had failed to cooperate with the investigation.
However, the Supreme Court made critical observations on the case, stating that the authorities had delayed the investigation for three years and had violated the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in handling the matter.
The accused had challenged the High Court’s orders by filing petitions, but the Supreme Court saw no valid reason for intervention in the case.
While granting anticipatory bail, the Supreme Court strictly instructed Jogi Ramesh and Devineni Avinash not to leave the country and directed them to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
