The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Vijayawada East coordinator Devineni Avinash after the Andhra Pradesh High Court rejected his plea earlier in a case related to allegedly ransacking the TDP Central office in Mangalagiri in 2021.
Avinash was accused of allegedly ransacking the NTR Bhavan, the central office of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Mangalagiri, during the YSRCP regime in October 2021.
Avinash has been under interim protection since September last year. He faces charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 147, 148, 452, 427, 323, 506, 324 read with 149, and Sections 326, 307, 450, 380 read with 109 and 120B.
A bench comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Manmohan also granted anticipatory bail to former Minister and MLA Jogi Ramesh in connection with the alleged vandalism of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s Undavalli residence in 2021.
Like Avinash, Ramesh had also been granted interim protection. He faces charges under IPC Sections 143, 324, 506, 188, 269, and 270 read with 149.
The Court directed the petitioners to cooperate fully with the investigation, and warned that any non-cooperation would result in the vacation of the bail order.
Additionally, the petitioners were instructed to surrender their passports and were barred from leaving the country without informing the investigating officer.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Avinash, argued that fresh investigations began only after a change in the ruling government, despite the alleged incident occurring three years ago and involving 88 individuals.
He contended that the complainant’s claims in the FIR exaggerated the injuries sustained, and Avinash was not identified in the CCTV footage.
However, Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the Andhra Pradesh government, opposed the plea, stating that the accused had not been cooperating with the investigation and had failed to provide details of their mobile phones.
It was further alleged that Avinash attempted to leave the country, a claim refuted by Sibal, who clarified that his client had only travelled within India and failed to inform the Court due to a lack of awareness.
Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave also made brief submissions on behalf of Jogi Ramesh.
The Supreme Court’s anticipatory bail order extends to other accused individuals, including Nandepu Jagadeesh, Manyam Jagadish, and Gadela.
