Pranay honor killing case: How accused orchestrated his murder
What's the story
The Nalgonda court in Telangana sentenced Subhash Sharma, the second accused in the 2018 honor killing case of Pranay, a Scheduled Caste member, to death, on Monday. The court ruled that Sharma be hanged to death. Six other suspects were condemned to life in prison: Md Asghar Ali, Md Abdul Bari, Md Abdul Kareem, Thirunagaru Sravan Kumar, Samudrala Shiva, and Md Nizam. The prime accused, businessman Maruthi Rao (A-1), the father of Pranay's wife, Amrutha, died by suicide in 2020.
Couple's story
Pranay and Amrutha's marriage amid family opposition
Pranay and Amrutha, friends since school, got married at the Arya Samaj in Hyderabad on January 30, 2018. After their wedding, they returned to Miryalguda and approached the police for protection from family opposition. They stayed in a house fitted with CCTV cameras for security. During the short course of their marriage, the police and local authorities participated in counseling sessions with the couple and their parents to resolve any concerns.
Murder plot
Rao's conspiracy and Pranay's murder
In June 2018, Amrutha's father, Maruthi, planned Pranay's murder. He contacted two people who were acquitted in the 2003 murder of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya — Mohammed Azghar Ali and his associate Mohammed Abdul Bari of Nalgonda. An initial payment of ₹15 lakh was distributed on July 10, 2018. After several failed attempts, Pranay was brutally murdered on September 14 that year.
Case development
Arrests and legal proceedings
After Pranay's murder, Maruthi Rao and five others were arrested — including the suspected contract killer Subhash alias Sharma of Bihar, Asghar Ali, Md Abdul Bari, Abdul Kareem (who facilitated communication between Rao and Bari), Maruthis brother Shravan Kumar, and Samudrala Shiva (Maruthi's driver). In April 2019, the Telangana High Court granted conditional bail to Maruthi and two other defendants.
Case outcome
Charges and court verdict
After two months, the Nalgonda Police submitted a 1,600-page charge sheet, detailing charges of criminal conspiracy, murder, and others under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The second additional sessions court, which takes up cases related to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, found all the accused guilty after a trial of over five years. Following the verdict, Pranay's family paid a visit to his cemetery. His father expressed hope that the judgment will serve as deterrent to caste-based "honor" killings.
History
Pranay was hacked to death
The 24-year-old Dalit Christian from the Mala clan was hacked to death with a machete in broad daylight in Miryalguda on September 14, 2018, for marrying Amrutha, a member of the Vaishya caste. Pranay was slain while he was leaving a hospital with Amrutha, who was five months pregnant at the time, and his mother. The violent crime was caught on CCTV cameras.