YSRCP leader, his brother surrender in double murder case
Former MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy and his brother surrendered in Andhra Pradesh over a double murder case involving TDP leaders, amid political tensions.
Senior YSR Congress party leader and former MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy and his brother Pinnelli Venkatarami Reddy surrendered before a local court in Macherla in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district on Thursday in connection with a double murder case.
Both brothers are named as accused — A6 and A7 respectively — in the sensational double murder case involving TDP leaders Javishetty Venkateswarlu and Javishetty Koteswara Rao of Gundlapadu village in Veldurthi mandal, Palnadu district in May this year.
Soon after their surrender, a junior additional civil judge court at Macherla remanded the brothers to 14-day judicial remand. They were shifted to Nellore district jail in the evening, people familiar with the matter said.
A tense situation prevailed in Macherla town as hundreds of YSRCP workers and followers of Ramakrishna Reddy assembled at his residence and court, raising slogans against the government.
A senior police official said Section 30 of the Police Act was under force in Gurazala police sub-division area to prevent any kind of violence in view of the politically sensitive situation in Palnadu district.
“Former minister Vidadala Rajini was kept under house arrest at her residence in Chilakaluripet, following the reports that she was planning to go to Macherla to extend solidarity with Ramakrishna Reddy and his brother,” the official said, adding several other local leaders were also taken into preventive custody as a precautionary measure to safeguard law and order.
Speaking to reporters at the court, Ramakrishna Reddy said the murder case was registered against them as part of the political vendetta by the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government. “The case was filed under pressure from the local TDP leaders, though the twin murders were due to factional rivalry within the TDP,” he said.
The murders, committed on May 24, 2025, triggered statewide uproar and intense political reactions. The case includes seven accused in total: A1 Javishetty Srinu, A2 Thota Venkata Rao, A3 Thota Guravayya, A4 Nagaraju, A5 Thota Venkateswarlu, A6 Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, and A7 Pinnelli Venkatarami Reddy.
After their anticipatory bail pleas were rejected by the Andhra Pradesh high court, the brothers approached the Supreme Court on September 1. The apex court granted interim protection but continued hearing on their anticipatory bail petitions.
However, during subsequent hearings, the state’s counsel, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, argued that the accused were not cooperating with the police investigation, were intimidating witnesses, and were attempting to tamper with evidence.
Following detailed arguments, the Supreme Court dismissed the anticipatory bail petitions and clarified that the police do not require further permission to arrest the brothers. The the apex court granted the accused two weeks’ time to surrender.
