HYDERABAD : A bench of the Telangana High Court on Thursday upheld the life sentence awarded to Malisetty Bhanu Kiran, also known as Bhanu, for the murder of Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy alias Maddilacheruvu Suri. Suri was a key figure in the 2005 assassination of TDP MLA Paritala Ravi.
Earlier in 2018, an additional sessions judge had sentenced Bhanu Kiran to life imprisonment. Bhanu had shot dead Suri at Yousufguda in Hyderabad when they were travelling together in a car in January 2011. Challenging the local court’s verdict, Bhanu Kiran had appealed in the high court. The decision came after a thorough consideration of the criminal appeal filed by Bhanu Kiran challenging the trial court’s verdict. Despite Bhanu’s contention of insufficient direct evidence and alleged contradictions in witness statements, a bench comprising Justice K Lakshman and Justice P Sree Sudha affirmed the conviction.
Public Prosecutor Palle Nageswara Rao argued that Bhanu meticulously planned and executed the murder. According to Rao, Bhanu was travelling with Suri on the day of the incident, positioned strategically behind him in the car. Bhanu fired fatal shots at Suri from behind, causing injuries consistent with his position in the vehicle.
Refuting the defence’s claim of unidentified gunmen attacking Suri, Nageswara Rao pointed to medical evidence indicating bullet wounds on the right side of Suri’s neck and scalp, inconsistent with shots fired from outside the car. Bhanu also attempted to evade justice by fleeing to MP, assuming a new identity as Mukesh Kunjam.
The prosecution highlighted Bhanu’s manipulation of Suri’s associates to carry out the murder, implicating him in a premeditated scheme. Assistant Public Prosecutor Shalini Saxena and advocate Sahala Kamalla supported the prosecution’s argument before the bench. The bench endorsed the trial court’s meticulous examination of evidence and declined to intervene in its 2018 verdict.