New Delhi, Feb 17: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea of a man challenging his conviction in the 2002 death of Telugu actress Pratyusha and directed him to surrender within four weeks.
A bench of Justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan also rejected a petition filed by Pratyusha’s mother, P Sarojini Devi, who alleged foul play. The court said the material on record rules out murder by strangulation and does not make out a case of rape, adding that the evidence points to death due to poisoning. The bench noted it was too late at this stage to raise allegations of rape and strangulation.
Pratyusha died in Hyderabad on February 24, 2002. The case relates to G Siddhartha Reddy, who was convicted of abetment of suicide. A trial court in 2004 sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 for abetment of suicide. He was also awarded one year’s imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000 for attempting suicide.
In 2011, the Andhra Pradesh High Court reduced his sentence to two years from the five years awarded earlier.
As per the case details recorded in the remand report, Pratyusha and Reddy were in a relationship for several years. While the actress’s mother accepted the relationship, Reddy’s family opposed it, following which the two decided to end their lives. On February 23, 2002, they bought a pesticide bottle, mixed it in a soft drink and consumed it, but later decided against dying and drove to Care Hospital in Hyderabad. Pratyusha died during treatment, while Reddy survived.
By Juhi | With inputs from PTI