Eight months after his arrest for conspiring the murder of his son-in-law Perumalla Pranay Kumar, Tirunagaru Maruthi Rao, who is accused no. 1 in the case, is all set to be released on conditional bail. His daughter Amruthavarshini had married the 24-year-old Dalit youth against his wishes.
Maruthi Rao, who along with his brother Tirunagaru Sravan Kumar (accused five) and Abdul Kareem (accused four), is now lodged in the Warangal central prison, will step out once the Telangana High Court order reaches the prison office.
Pranay and Amrutha fell in love during their school days, and on January 30, 2018, got married at Arya Samaj mandir, Hyderabad. The couple returned to Miryalaguda to live with Pranay’s family.
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Chilling caste killing
On September 14 last year, Pranay, was hacked to death by a hired assailant as he was leaving a nursing home along with five-month pregnant Amrutha after her pre-natal tests, and his mother Premalatha.
The 35-second attack video clip, subsequent arrests, protests by civil society and netizens caused widespread outrage.
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Within four days, Nalgonda superintendent of police A.V. Ranganath had produced the six accused, excepr the supari killer Subhash Sharma, before media, and said: “Maruthi Rao, from the business-pursuing Vysya community, was enraged that his daughter married a Scheduled Caste youth. Pranay was killed after four failed attempts; Rao is A1 for hatching the conspiracy.”
But his other comment, that, “co-accused A5, A6 or A7 may get bail soon, as their role is not significant in the murder,” attracted criticism.
Preventive detention
It may be recalled that Nalgonda police detained the three under Preventive Detention Act on October 31 and shifted them to the Warangal prison.
On Saturday, Mr. Ranganath, after learning that even accused 1 had secured bail, said the police will approach the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court order.
Security request
Reacting to the bail news, Amrutha and Pranay’s father, Balaswamy, labelled the development as ‘disappointing’. “Carrying words from my mom or aunt, those who come to visit me threaten me indirectly. How do you expect the ones from prison to behave when they are out? I will request the police for more security,” Amrutha said.
Balaswamy, an LIC employee, said bail for accused one, who also happens to be a rich and an influential person, sends a wrong message to society.