Telangana Court Delivers Death Sentence, Six Life Terms in 2018 Dalit Man's 'Honour Killing' Case

A special court in Telangana's Nalgonda town has sentenced a contract killer to death and six others to life imprisonment in the shocking 2018 "honour killing" of Dalit youth P. Pranay.

On Monday, the SC/ST court handed down the death penalty to Subhash Kumar Sharma, a hired assassin from Bihar, for brutally murdering 24-year-old Pranay in broad daylight. The attack, which happened as Pranay was leaving a private hospital in Miryalaguda with his pregnant wife Amrutha and mother on September 14, 2018, was captured on CCTV, sparking national outrage.

Pranay and Amrutha had been childhood friends and married on January 30, 2018, at an Arya Samaj temple in Hyderabad. Their union defied societal expectations-Amrutha belonged to an upper caste, and her father, Maruthi Rao, a businessman, was vehemently opposed to the marriage. Unable to accept their relationship, he allegedly paid ₹1 crore to contract killer Subhash Sharma to eliminate Pranay.

Maruthi Rao, who was the prime accused in orchestrating the murder, was out on bail when he died by suicide on March 7, 2020.

After a six-year-long trial, the court found all accused guilty. While Subhash Sharma was given the death penalty, six others-Asghar Ali, Abdul Bari, M.A. Karim, Maruthi Rao's brother Shravan Kumar, auto driver Nizam, and car driver Shiva-received life sentences.

Notably, Asghar Ali is also an accused in the 2003 killing of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya.

The case began after Pranay's father, P. Balaswamy, filed a complaint, leading to the arrests of the accused under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and murder charges. Police had submitted a 1,600-page charge sheet in the trial court on June 12, 2019.

While all accused except Subhash Sharma were granted bail in 2019, justice has finally been served for Pranay and his grieving family.

Amrutha, who has stood firm in her fight for justice, vowed never to return to her parents' home. In 2019, she gave birth to the couple's son, carrying forward Pranay's legacy despite the tragic loss.