Hyderabad: Chintala Venkateswara Reddy, one of the prime accused in the criminal activities of gangster Nayeemuddin, and who is out on bail, had VIP darshan at Tirumala in the early hours of Sunday. Telangana state Legislative Council deputy chairman Nethi Vidyasagara Rao had sponsored his name and accompanied him.
Soon after Nayeemuddin was killed in a police encounter on August 8, 2016, Mr Venkateswara Reddy went underground for a few weeks and obtained anticipatory bail to avoid arrest from cases filed against him by the Nalgonda police. Early on Sunday morning, during the VIP darshan time, he was spotted along with Mr Vidyasagara Rao, whose name also appears in an FIR registered with the Bhongir police, but who is not listed as an accused. News channels reported these two men and two others coming out of the Tirumala temple.
The Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD) had made elaborate arrangements for the darshan by VVIPs and VIPs on New Year’s Day. However, this time the TTD has insisted that they will not accept letters of recommendation and the VIP has to be physically present along with whoever he sponsors for the special break darshan. A TTD official said that Mr Vidyasagara Rao had recommended the name of Mr Venkateswara Reddy as also those of a few others for VIP darshan.
Mr Reddy had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Assembly elections from Bhongir as a Congress nominee and was a close associate of Mr Vidyasa-gara Rao. He resigned from the Congress and joined the TRS after the party came to power.
Mr Reddy faces serious charges under IPC 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 360, 363 (kidnapping), and 386 (extortion), all associated with Nayeem-uddin’s criminal activities. He is also closely related to Nalgonda district collector.
It may be recalled that before taking action against opposition leaders, the Chief Mini-ster had reportedly sought act-ion against TRS leaders and there were reports that some TRS MLCs would be arrested for their alleged involvement in Nayeemuddin’s crime.
