SC Slams AP Police Over Nexus in Murder Case Involving YSRCP MLC
SC Slams AP Police Over Nexus in Murder Case Involving YSRCP MLC
SC criticizes AP police for delays in murder trial of YSRCP MLC, calling it a nexus of power and police.
The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the Andhra Pradesh police for hobnobbing with a sitting MLC of the YSR Congress Party who is an accused in a 2022 murder, noting that the trial has not moved to the stage of framing charges in nearly three years even as the politician remains on interim bail. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said there is a "clear nexus of power and police" and faulted what it described as laxity and complicity that have stalled the case.
Anantha Satya Udaya Bhaskar Rao alias Anantha Babu is accused of killing his former driver Veedhi Subrahmanyam in May 2022 after a dispute over a loan. The court ordered the police to complete any further investigation by March 31 and asked the chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court to assign the case to a senior judicial officer who may frame charges by April 18 and push to finish the trial by November 30 this year.
The MLC faces charges for murder and disappearance of evidence, among other offences under the IPC, while the court’s directions are aimed at accelerating charge-framing and trial timelines in a case that has drawn attention for perceived police-collaboration with the accused. The court’s stern stance underscores the judiciary’s insistence on accountability in high-profile matters where power and law enforcement intersect.
Prosecutors and families of the victim highlighted the lack of progress, and today’s order signals the judiciary’s resolve to ensure timely action even when powerful individuals are involved, potentially setting a precedent for similar cases in the state.
