Pinnelli brothers surrender in Palnadu court in TDP workers’ double-murder case

Former YSRCP MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy and his brother surrendered before a Palnadu court in connection with the alleged murder of two TDP workers. The Supreme Court had ordered their surrender, while YSRCP termed the FIR politically motivated.

Amaravati: Former YSRCP MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy and his brother Venkatarami Reddy on Thursday surrendered before a court in Palnadu district in a double-murder case of TDP workers.

On the directions of the Supreme Court, the Pinnelli brothers surrendered themselves before Junior Additional Civil at Macherla.

---

The Supreme Court in late November had dismissed their anticipatory bail pleas and directed them to surrender before the lower court in two weeks.

Police had made elaborate security arrangements near the court to prevent any untoward incident.

Former Macherla MLA Ramakrishna Reddy and his brother Venkatarami Reddy are listed as accused number six and seven in the double murder case.

TDP workers Javishetti Venkateswarlu and Koteswara Rao were murdered in May 2025.

Venkateswarlu and his brother Koteswara Rao from Gundlapadu village were killed near Bodilaveedu in Veldurthi mandal. They were returning from a wedding in Telangana when an SUV reportedly rammed into their bike and dragged them along the road.

After noticing one of them was still alive, the assailants fatally struck him with a stone before fleeing, leaving the vehicle behind.

After the Pinnelli brothers were named in the FIR, the YSR Congress Party alleged that the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was resorting to political vendetta.

YSRCP alleged that the FIR was filed under pressure from local TDP MLA Julakanti Brahmananda Reddy. It cited media reports and the district SP’s statements, indicating the double murder stemmed from factional rivalry within the TDP.

After the TDP-led NDA came to power last year, Palnadu police had opened rowdy sheets against the Pinnelli brothers for their alleged involvement in crimes during the general elections.

The former MLA was named in 14 criminal cases, and his brother in more than six cases.

The ex-MLA had damaged an electronic voting machine (EVM) at a polling booth in Macherla Assembly constituency while the elections were in progress. A TDP agent had tried to stop the YSRCP leader at that time in the polling station. Later, Ramakrishna Reddy allegedly hatched a conspiracy to kill the agent on the same day. A police case was registered in this regard as well.