The Telangana high court on Thursday served notice to prime accused in former minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy’s murder, Sk Dastagiri to file counter to the petitions filed by Y S Bhaskara Reddy and Krishna Reddy.

Both Bhaskara Reddy and Krishna Reddy have filed a petition challenging the CBI taking Dastagiri as approver in the case. Krishna Reddy was the personal assistant while Dastagiri was the driver of Vivekananda Reddy.

Bhaskara Reddy is now in the CBI custody after he was arrested and sent to the judicial remand for 14 days in the Chanchalguda Central Prison. Bhaskara Reddy is the father of Kadapa MP, Y S Avinash Reddy, who is also accused by the CBI in the murder.

Dastagiri told the CBI that he was present along with Sunil Yadav, Gangi Reddy and Umashankar Reddy in the murder of Vivekananda Reddy. Gangi Reddy had differences with Vivekananda Reddy following the latter’s defeat in the MLC elections in which TDP’s B Tech Ravi had won. Gangi Reddy also had differences with Viveka over a property dispute in Bengaluru, Dastagiri told the CBI.

Dastagiri further told the CBI that Gangi Reddy took him, Sunil Yadav and Umashankar Reddy to his house where the plan to kill Vivekananda Reddy was told to him. Though he expressed his inability to kill Viveka, it was said that the others have encouraged him stating that big leaders like Bhaskara Reddy, Avinash Reddy, Manohar Reddy and Sankar Reddy were behind.

He further told the CBI that he was promised Rs 5 crore as his share from the total money of Rs 40 crore promised. He also told the CBI that he had purchased an axe in Kadiri town and handed it over to Sunil Yadav, which was used in the murder.

He also narrated how the murder was executed which became prime evidence in the case for the CBI. However, his statement that they made Vivekananda Reddy to write a letter by force before killing him is now not part of the investigation as there is no reference to the said letter either in the investigation or in the evidence list.