New Delhi, February 20 Observing that the Andhra Pradesh Police is in “complete collusion” with those in power, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered that the trial against YSRCP MLC Anantha Satya Udaya Bhaskara Rao in a 2022 murder case should conclude by November 30.
Rao, an MLC of the then ruling YSRCP, is accused of killing his former driver, Veedhi Subramanyam, a Dalit, over a money dispute in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, in May 2022. He was arrested on charges of murder and atrocity under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
In its strong comments, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, while issuing a slew of directions aimed at ensuring that the investigation and trial conclude early, said, “This is a case of complete collusion and hobnobbing. It is a clear case of the nexus between power and police.”
The bench also comprised Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi.
On September 26, 2022, the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed Rao's petition seeking default bail in the high-profile murder case. The high court said that a chargesheet cannot be termed "incomplete" or "defective" simply because it was returned by a court for technical corrections or missing scientific reports.
On December 12, 2022, the apex court granted Rao interim bail, saying that the accused cannot be kept in custody.
On Friday, the CJI-led bench perused the case records and said it was apparent that the state police was "hobnobbing" with the accused, and yet he did not get bail from the high court.
The bench asked the chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh high court to entrust the trial in the case to a senior judicial officer who can take up the matter at least once in a week.
While asking the state police to conclude the investigation in the case by March 31, it asked the trial court to complete the issues relating to framing of charges against the lawmaker by April 18, 2026.
The bench granted prosecution time till August 31 to conclude examination of its witnesses in the case.
While granting two months to the accused to lead defence evidence, the bench asked the trial court to conclude the trial by November 30.
It restrained all the courts, including the high court, from passing any order which may lead to halting of trial.
The apex court asked the high court judge in charge of the district where the case is pending to ensure that its procedural directions are followed.