More than two decades after the death of Telugu-Tamil actress Pratyusha, the Supreme Court of India has upheld the conviction of Gudipalli Siddhartha Reddy for abetment of suicide while firmly ruling out claims of murder or sexual assault.
A Bench comprising Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Manmohan dismissed appeals filed both by Reddy and by the actress’s mother. Reddy had challenged his conviction, whereas the victim’s mother sought to have the case reclassified as murder.
Pratyusha died in February 2002 after allegedly consuming poison in Hyderabad. Reddy, who was with her at the time, survived. The prosecution’s case was that the two had ingested pesticide, leading to her death. Over the years, however, the actress’s family maintained that she had been sexually assaulted and killed, disputing the suicide theory.
The trial court had earlier found Reddy guilty of abetting suicide and attempting suicide, sentencing him to imprisonment. On appeal, the Andhra Pradesh High Court reduced his jail term while enhancing the fine. Both sides later approached the Supreme Court.
In its final ruling, the apex court concluded that the medical and forensic material on record did not support allegations of rape or strangulation. The Bench observed that the evidence consistently pointed to death by poisoning. It also noted deficiencies and inconsistencies in certain forensic reports that had fuelled suspicion at earlier stages of the investigation.
Declining to reopen factual findings at such a late stage, the Court confirmed the conviction for abetment of suicide and directed Reddy to surrender to serve the remaining sentence. The judgment effectively closes a long-standing and emotionally charged legal battle surrounding the actress’s untimely death.
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