New Delhi, Feb 17 (NationPress) The Supreme Court has determined that the demise of Telugu actress Prathyusha was due to organophosphate poisoning rather than manual strangulation. This ruling also upholds the conviction of Gudipalli Siddhartha Reddy under Section 306 of the IPC for abetting suicide.

A detailed judgment from a Bench comprising Justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan rejected appeals from both the accused and the deceased's mother, who attempted to assert claims of rape and homicide via strangulation.

The court noted that Prathyusha was lucid upon her admission to the hospital and had informed the medical staff that she ingested pesticide. Justice Bindal's Bench concluded that the claims of manual strangulation were “entirely untenable.”

The appeals contested a ruling from the Andhra Pradesh High Court dated December 28, 2011, which had reduced the sentence for the offense under Section 306 IPC to two years, while increasing the imposed fine to Rs 50,000.

The controversy arose from a postmortem report dated February 25, 2002, by Dr. B. Muni Swamy, who suggested that the cause of death was due to “pressure over the neck, asphyxia from manual strangulation,” while preserving viscera for chemical analysis.

However, testing by the Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory (AP FSL) identified traces of organophosphate insecticide in the deceased's internal organs and stomach wash. A subsequent expert committee assembled by the state concluded that the cause of death was organophosphate poisoning, with no evidence supporting manual strangulation or sexual assault.

The committee explicitly stated: “The cause of death is due to Organophosphate Poisoning. There is no evidence to suggest death resulted from manual strangulation. There is no indication of sexual assault prior to her passing.”

It further remarked that the autopsy surgeon had “misinterpreted therapeutic injuries as violence-induced injuries,” suggesting the need for caution in expressing opinions contrary to the Inquest Report.

The investigation, later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, prompted the CBI to consult AIIMS experts.

The AIIMS panel reported on May 2, 2002: “After reviewing all documents and photographs, we find that the cause of death of Miss S. Pratyusha was Organophosphorus poisoning.”

Regarding strangulation claims, the AIIMS panel commented: “The observations in the PM report dated 25.2.2002 do not suggest manual strangulation. The opinion in the PME report appears to be based on a misreading of injuries resulting from therapeutic procedures.”

The AIIMS panel also dismissed any sexual assault allegations, stating that the PM report, APFSL findings, and photographs “do not show any evidence of sexual assault in this case.”

After carefully reviewing the medical, forensic, and expert evidence, the Supreme Court acknowledged the stark contrast between the initial autopsy conclusion and later scientific findings.

Referring to the AIIMS report, the Supreme Court noted that the autopsy surgeon “seems to have misinterpreted the findings to conclude that death resulted from Manual Strangulation,” indicating an “error in judgement” on the part of the autopsy surgeon.

The Justice Bindal-led Bench stated that there was “no evidence of sexual assault” and that medical data consistently indicated death from organophosphate poisoning. They concluded that the shared independent expert opinions “leave no doubt” that the death was attributed to poisoning.

While affirming the conviction under Section 306 IPC, the Supreme Court chose not to alter the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s decision to reduce the sentence to two years in prison with an increased fine.

“The present appeals lack merit and are dismissed with no cost order. The appellant, Gudipalli Siddhartha Reddy, is instructed to surrender within four weeks,” ordered Justice Bindal's Bench.