A sessions court in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district on Friday sentenced a 23-year-old man to death for the murder of a 20-year-old engineering student on August 15, 2021.
In a packed court room, special fast-track court judge G Ram Gopal declared Kunchala Sasikrishna of Mutlur village in Vatticherukuru block guilty of murdering Nallapu Ramya, a B Tech student, by repeatedly stabbing her in broad daylight in Guntur town. He ordered that Sasikrishna be hanged to death.
“The judge felt that since the accused had committed murder on the Independence Day and in broad daylight in full public glare, it can be considered a rarest of rare cases and hence, sentenced him to death,” said public prosecutor N Sharadamani.
The trial in the case was completed on April 26 and the judge had reserved his verdict to Friday.
According to the police record, Sasikrishna, a school dropout who worked as a mechanic in an automobile repair shop, had been stalking Ramya, a third-year B Tech student, for several months. She had known him through Facebook and Instagram for the past six months, but kept spurning his relationship proposals.
On August 15 last year, when Ramya came out of her house to buy breakfast from an eatery, Sasikrishna approached her and started arguing with her. In a fit of rage, he took out a knife he had brought with him and stabbed her repeatedly in her throat and stomach eight times, according to the case details. She died while being shifted to the Guntur government hospital.
The incident, which was captured on the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera, sent shockwaves across the state. Several political parties, women organisations and students’ groups took out rallies protesting the murder.
{{/usCountry}}The incident, which was captured on the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera, sent shockwaves across the state. Several political parties, women organisations and students’ groups took out rallies protesting the murder.
{{/usCountry}}Within 10 hours, the Guntur police arrested Sasikrishna at Narsaraopet after tracking his movements through CCTV cameras and mobile location. On seeing the police, he tried to slash his hand with a knife, but the police foiled his attempt. After administering him first aid at Narsaraopet, the police shifted him to Guntur.
A release from the chief minister’s office (CMO)on Friday said the entire investigation and trial had taken place as per the Disha Act enacted by the state government.
The Guntur police filed a charge sheet under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, within six days. Testimonies of 28 eyewitnesses had been recorded in the Guntur fast-track sessions court since December 7.
The forensic and DNA reports were obtained within two days and the CCTV footage of the incident was also taken into consideration as one of the key pieces of evidence. The entire trial was completed within 257 days. Final arguments of the case commenced in the second week of April and ended on Tuesday, the CMO note said.
It further said the chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government had paid an ex gratia compensation of ₹10 lakh to Ramya’s mother Jyothi. She was also given a piece of land in Guntur, besides ₹8.25 lakh for the construction of a house. “Ramya’s sister Mounika was given a job in the revenue department on September 16. Besides, the government has also given the family five acres of land at their native village of Yellavarru in Amruthaluru block,” the CMO note said.