SC dismisses plea, upholds conviction in Telugu actress Pratyusha death case

The Supreme Court has dismissed pleas challenging the conviction in the 2002 death of Telugu actress Pratyusha, ruling out allegations of strangulation and rape. The case stemmed from a suicide pact between Reddy and Pratyusha, which ended fatally for the actress.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea of a man challenging his conviction in the death of Telugu actress Pratyusha in 2002, and directed him to surrender within four weeks.

Ruling out that there was strangulation and rape in the case, a bench comprising Justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan also dismissed the plea filed by P Sarojini Devi, Pratyusha’s mother, who alleged foul play in the death.

---

“Murder by strangulation is ruled out. Two, overwhelming ocular and medical evidence proves death due to poisoning. Three, the offence of rape against the appellant accused is not made out. At the belated stage, it is difficult to allege that the cause of death was rape and strangulation,” the bench said.

Pratyusha died in Hyderabad on February 24, 2002.

In 2011, the Andhra Pradesh High Court reduced the jail sentence of G Siddhartha Reddy, who was convicted for her death, to two years from the five years earlier awarded.

The trial court had in 2004 sentenced Reddy to five years’ imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on charges of abetment of suicide. It had also awarded him one more year of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000 for attempting suicide.

The gist of the case against Reddy according to the remand report is that he and Pratyusha were in love with each other for six years. While the relation was acceptable to Pratyusha’s mother, Reddy’s mother did not agree to the alliance on account of which both of them decided to commit suicide.

On February 23, 2002, both of them went in a car, purchased a pesticide bottle, mixed it in coke and consumed it. However, wisdom prevailed over them and they decided that they should not die.
They drove to Care Hospital in Hyderabad in the car driven by Reddy. In spite of the medical care, Pratyusha died while Reddy survived.