Delay flagged in action against Viveka murder accused

Suneetha Narreddy, daughter of the slain Member of Parliament (Kadapa) Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, questioned the alleged inaction by the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) against its employee Gajjela Uday Kumar Reddy, who has been named as A6 (accused 6) in the murder case, in spite of his absence from duty for 495 days.

It may be recalled that Uday Kumar Reddy, working as a general foreman (Mechanical) in the plant located at Thummalapalli in Pulivendula constituency, was arrested on April 14, 2023 in connection with the sensational murder and was granted conditional bail on August 21, 2024.

In a complaint addressed to UCIL’s deputy general manager (Mill) and plant in-charge Suman Sarkar, Dr. Narreddy questioned as to how an employee could get protection in spite of his prolonged absence from work.

“After receiving the bail intimation on Aug 26, 2024, the UCIL initiated suspension of Uday Kumar Reddy after an ‘inexplicable delay’ of eleven months. As of January 19, 2026, he has completed six months under suspension,” she told the media, after formally submitting the complaint to the plant in-charge on Thursday.

Since the suspension cannot be continued indefinitely, she demanded that the departmental inquiry be concluded within a reasonable period, else the suspension could get automatically revoked.

Referring to Mr. Reddy’s plea for reinstatement, she said that reinstating a person accused in a murder case would set a wrong precedent.