New Delhi: Observing that the Andhra Pradesh Police is in “complete collusion” with those in power, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered the trial of YSRCP MLC Anantha Satya Udaya Bhaskara Rao in a 2022 murder case to be concluded by November 30.
Rao, a member of the MLC of the then ruling YSRCP party, is accused of killing his former driver Vidhi Subramaniam, a Dalit, over a financial dispute in May 2022 in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. He was arrested for murder and atrocities under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
After passing a slew of directions aimed at ensuring an early end to the investigation and trial, the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant in its strong comments said: “This is a case of complete collusion and deception. It is a clear case of nexus between the authority and the police.”
The bench also includes Justices Joymalia Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi.
On September 26, 2022, the Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed Rao’s plea seeking default bail in the high-profile murder case. The Supreme Court said that the indictment cannot be described as “incomplete” or “defective” simply because it was sent back by the court for technical corrections or missing scientific reports.
On December 12, 2022, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Rao, saying the accused could not be kept in custody.
On Friday, the CJI-led bench perused the case records and said it was clear that the state police were “manipulating” the accused and yet he did not get bail from the Supreme Court.
The bench asked the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court to entrust the trial of this case to a senior judicial officer who can handle the matter at least once a week.
While it asked the state police to conclude the investigation into the case by March 31, it asked the lower court to complete the cases related to filing charges against the legislator by April 18, 2026.
The court gave the prosecution until August 31 to complete the questioning of its witnesses in the case.
While giving the accused two months to lead defense evidence for two months, the bench asked the court to conclude the trial by November 30.
All courts, including the Supreme Court, were prohibited from issuing any order that might lead to a halt to the trial.
The Supreme Court asked the High Court judge in charge of the area where the law will continue to ensure that its procedural directions are followed.
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