A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant invoked the apex court’s plenary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to grant relief to Muppidi Avinash Reddy. | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
The Supreme Court on Friday (March 20, 2026) granted regular bail to Muppidi Avinash Reddy, accused in the alleged multi-crore liquor “scam” in Andhra Pradesh.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant invoked the full bench power of the apex court under Article 142 of the Constitution to grant relief to Mr. Reddy, represented by senior advocate Siddharth Dave.
The court said that regular bail would continue even during the trial of the case. Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra appeared for the State of Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Reddy approached the apex court seeking anticipatory bail but gave up after the apex court asked him to do so earlier. The court pointed out that some of the accused have already been granted bail.
The bench left it to the discretion of the trial court whether to impose strict bail conditions on Mr. Reddy.
The court clarified that the order would not be considered a binding precedent. There were no comments on the merits of the case.
Mr. Avinash Reddy, a relative of Kassireddy Rajashekar Reddy (A-1), was accused of playing a vital role in collecting commissions and distributing money in the scam.
Several investigative agencies are investigating the liquor syndicate scam. The accused persons caused a loss of about ₹ 3,500 crore to the exchequer during the tenure of the previous government. The accused, according to investigators, formed a syndicate, disabled the online liquor sales system and implemented a manual checkout system. They allegedly monitored the supply and sale of liquor through government retail outlets.
Some officials of AP State Beverages Corporation Limited allegedly colluded with the syndicate members and resorted to widespread irregularities in issuing supply orders.
Published – 20 March 2026 12:55 PM IST
