Bail Granted to Five Accused in Paritala Ravi Murder Case After 18 Years
Click to start listening
Amaravati, Dec 18 (NationPress) The Andhra Pradesh High Court has approved bail for five individuals implicated in the murder case of Paritala Ravindra, a former minister and leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), dating back to 2005.
On Wednesday, the court granted bail to Narayana Reddy (accused number 3), V. Rekhamiah (A4), Bhajana Ranganayakulu (A5), A Kondiah (A6), and Medimi Obi Reddy (A8).
This decision comes after a lengthy wait of 18 years.
The tragic event occurred on January 24, 2005, when Paritala Ravindra, also known as Paritala Ravi, was shot dead in broad daylight while exiting the party office in Penukonda, located in Anantapur district. His security personnel and one of his followers were also killed in the ensuing chaos, as the assailants managed to flee with the help of associates who detonated bombs.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took charge of the investigation into this triple homicide at the request of then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, following suspicions of involvement by his son, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, and Minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy. However, both were cleared of any wrongdoing.
The CBI's findings pointed towards a longstanding family feud involving Paritala Ravi and Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy (also known as Maddelacheruvu SuriJubilee Hills bomb blast case from 1997.
Details from the investigations indicated that Joolakanti Srinivas Reddy (referred to as Moddu Srinu), P. Narayan Reddy, and Rekhamaiah were the ones who shot Paritala Ravindra at the party office.
In August 2011, the Anantapur Sessions Court convicted eight individuals and imposed life sentences on them.
As for the three main accused—Suri, Moddu Srinu, and Tagarakunta Konda Reddy—their cases were dismissed due to their deaths in separate incidents during the trial.
Moddu Srinu was killed in Anantapur Jail on November 9, 2008, while Suri was murdered by his associate Bhanu Kiran on January 4, 2011, in Hyderabad over a property dispute.
Recently, Bhanu Kiran was also released on bail.
