2018 Telangana honour killing case: Court hands death penalty to 1, life imprisonment to 6 others

The killing of Pranay Kumar (23), who had married an upper caste woman in Nalgonda district in September 2018 had sparked outrage in the state.

Hyderabad: The Nalgonda SC/ST Second Additional Sessions Court on Monday delivered its verdict in the sensational 2018 honour killing of Dalit youth Pranay.

The court sentenced Subhash Sharma, the second accused in the case, to death. Sharma, who hails from Bihar, was found guilty of executing the murder. Additionally, the court sentenced the remaining six accused to life imprisonment.

Maruthi Rao, the prime accused and the mastermind behind the killing of Pranay for marrying his daughter Amrutha, died by suicide in March 2020. The murder of Pranay, which had sent shockwaves across the nation, drawing widespread condemnation of caste-based violence took place on September 14, 2018, in Miryalaguda.

In September 2018, Maruthi Rao from Miryalaguda town hired a contract killing gang to murder young Pranay for marrying his daughter in an inter-caste marriage. Police took the case as a high-profile one, completed the investigation, and filed a chargesheet in 2019 naming 8 people as accused. After more than 6 years of court proceedings, arguments were recently completed and the court delivered its verdict.

Maruthi Rao, who was A1 in the Pranay murder case, died by suicide in 2020. The other accused in this case are A2 Subhash Kumar Sharma, A3 Asgar Ali, A4 Bari, A5 Kareem, A6 Shravan Kumar, A7 Shiva, and A8 Nizam.

The accused pleaded with the court to reduce their sentences, citing health issues and their dependents—parents and children. Amrutha's uncle, Shravan Kumar, claimed he had no connection with the case and requested mercy as he has three unmarried daughters.

Pranay's father, Perumal Balaswamy, said that with Monday's court verdict, the culprits should realise their mistakes. He mentioned that after this murder, many more honour killings took place and hoped this verdict would serve as a lesson to all.

"We lost a lot due to Pranay's murder. Amrutha has no husband. I have no son. My grandson has no father," said Balaswamy. He added that while Subhash Sharma has been sentenced to death and the other six to life imprisonment, their families will also suffer, but he holds no anger against anyone. He said it was unfortunate that they committed such murders. He urged people to resolve any issues through discussions. He expressed hope that this verdict would put an end to honour killings.

Pranay, 23, married Amrutha, daughter of Maruthi Rao, in Hyderabad in January 2018. This marriage led to disputes between the two families, and both families filed complaints with the police.

During this process, Amrutha made it clear before the police that she would stay with Pranay. On September 14, 2018, Amrutha went to the hospital for a medical examination with her husband, Pranay, and mother-in-law, Premalatha. While returning from the hospital, miscreants attacked Pranay with a knife. Pranay lost his life on the spot. It was alleged that Maruthi Rao had spent Rs one crore for killing Pranay.