Nalgonda court orders death for one, life imprisonment for six in Telangana honour killing case

The trial, which spanned over six years, concluded with the court finding all the accused guilty.

A Special Court in Nalgonda on Monday awarded the death penalty to one of the seven accused and sentenced the remaining six to life imprisonment in the brutal murder of Dalit youth Perumalla Pranay Kumar. The case, which shook Telangana, dates back to September 14, 2018, when Kumar was hacked to death in broad daylight.

Kumar was attacked with a machete while returning from a private hospital with his pregnant wife, Amrutha Varshini, and mother, Premalatha. His murder was allegedly orchestrated by his father-in-law, T Maruthi Rao, who opposed their inter-caste marriage. According to the police charge sheet, Rao had made four failed attempts before succeeding in his plan.

The trial, which spanned over six years, concluded with the court finding all the accused guilty. Subhash Sharma, the hired killer, received the death penalty, while the other six accused were sentenced to life imprisonment. Maruthi Rao, the prime conspirator and father-in-law of the victim, was among those convicted.

Kumar and Varshini's love story, which began in school, led to a controversial marriage in January 2018. The couple, despite facing opposition from their families, wed at Arya Samaj in Hyderabad. Fearing for their safety, they sought police protection and settled in Kumar's home in Muthireddykunta, equipped with CCTV cameras for security. In addition, counseling sessions were arranged to help bridge the gap between the couple and their families.

However, tensions escalated when Amrutha’s father, Rao, conspired to murder Pranay. In June 2018, Rao approached Mohammed Azghar Ali and Mohammed Abdul Bari, who had been acquitted in the 2003 Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya murder case, to execute his plan. The father-in-law coordinated with Bari through a transporter, Abdul Kareem, and a payment of Rs 15 lakh was made as an advance for the job.

The murder plot took shape in August 2018, when the hired hitman Subash Kumar, alias Sharma, along with Ali and Bari, arrived in Miryalguda. Despite two failed attempts on Pranay’s life, the conspirators persisted. On September 14, 2018, they successfully carried out the brutal killing, hacking Pranay to death.

The police arrested Maruthi Rao and five accomplices, including the alleged hitman Subash Kumar, and others involved in the conspiracy. Following the tragic loss, Amrutha gave birth to a son on January 30, 2019, coinciding with what would have been her wedding anniversary.

In 2019, Rao was granted conditional bail by the Telangana High Court. The Nalgonda Police filed an extensive 1,600-page charge sheet, including charges of criminal conspiracy and murder under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Rao, however, ended his life in March 2020, leaving his actions and their consequences to be dealt with by the courts.