New Delhi, Aug 12 (NationPress) The Supreme Court has officially transferred the investigation into the brutal murder of a lawyer couple from Telangana, which occurred in 2021, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). A bench comprising Justices M. M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh announced this decision, stating that the case necessitates further scrutiny.

This ruling came in response to a plea from Gattu Kishan Rao, who sought a CBI investigation into the murder of his son, Gattu Vaman Rao, and daughter-in-law, P. V. Nagamani.

During the proceedings, the Telangana government informed the Supreme Court that it had no objections to the case being handed over to the CBI.

The CBI expressed its readiness to investigate the murder if directed by the court.

The couple, both esteemed lawyers practicing in the high court, were tragically killed in broad daylight in the Peddapalli district of Telangana on February 17, 2021, while traveling back to Hyderabad from a court session in Manthani.

Two attackers stopped their vehicle and launched a vicious assault with knives and other weapons on the Manthani-Peddapalli road near a village in Ramagiri Mandal.

Shocking videos that circulated on social media depicted Vamana Rao, 53, and Nagamani, 50, being stabbed multiple times as horrified passersby looked on.

Before succumbing to his injuries, Rao named Kunta Srinivas, the President of the Manthani mandal unit of the then-ruling party, TRS (now BRS).

Law enforcement quickly apprehended three suspects, including Kunta Srinivas, on the same day.

Srinivas and his accomplice, S. Chiranjeevi, who were responsible for the couple's murder, were located near Wankidi in Maharashtra, while the third suspect, Akkapaka Kumar, was captured in Manthani.

Authorities reported that a dispute over land and temple management in their native village escalated into this violent act.

Subsequently, the police interrogated a relative of former TRS MLA and Peddapalli Zilla Parishad Chairman, Putta Madhukar, who allegedly provided the vehicle and weapons for the crime.

Police disclosed that Srinivas harbored resentment against Vamana Rao due to legal actions taken against him, leading to the murder plot. However, the victims' families expressed skepticism about this narrative.

Kishan Rao filed a complaint, alleging that Madhukar orchestrated the murder.

In May 2021, Madhukar was arrested, but authorities reportedly lacked sufficient evidence to substantiate his involvement.

A charge sheet naming seven suspects was filed, excluding Madhukar.

Kishan Rao initially approached the High Court, demanding a CBI investigation, asserting that the Telangana Police's inquiry was “biased and prejudiced”. He claimed that the investigation was improperly framed as a minor temple dispute rather than pursuing the true culprits.

Kishan Rao maintained that Vamana Rao and Nagamani were targeted by criminal elements in collusion with TRS leaders and police officials due to their opposition to illegal activities associated with Madhukar, the then Zilla Parishad chairman, and his wife Shailaja, who was the chairperson of the Manthani municipality.

However, the High Court deemed a CBI probe unnecessary.

During the Supreme Court hearing, the petitioner's attorney alleged Madhukar's involvement in the murder, citing his name in Vamana Rao's dying declaration. Conversely, Madhukar's legal representatives contended that he was wrongly implicated and had no participation in the crime.

Kishan Rao's counsel argued that the couple had initiated numerous legal cases against the state government, police officials, and leaders of the former ruling TRS.