Pranay Murder Case: 5 Years Later - Death sentence to Bihar man in ‘honour killing’ case

“From the very beginning, DSP Srinivas fully supported the case. We waited five and a half years for this verdict, and we are satisfied with the outcome.” – Pranay’s father, Perumala Balaswamy

Nalgonda: A special court in Nalgonda town on Monday sentenced a hired murderer to death and six others to life imprisonment in the sensational 2018 ‘honour killing’ case. The SC/ST court handed down the death sentence for Subhash Kumar Sharma, a native of Bihar, for the murder of Dalit youth PPranay six years ago.

Pranay, 24, was hacked to death by the hired killer in full public view when he, along with his pregnant wife Amrutha and mother, were coming out of a private hospital in Miryalaguda on September 14, 2018. The sensational murder was caught on CCTV camera and had drawn the national attention.

Pranay had married Amrutha, who belonged to an upper caste, against the wishes of her businessman father Maruthi Rao. Amrutha’s father, who hired killers to murder Pranay, was accused number one in the case. He died by suicide on March 7, 2020, while on bail.

Rao was accused of orchestrating the murder by reportedly giving Rs 1 crore to contract killer Subhash Sharma through another accused.

After a six-year-long trial, the court convicted and sentenced Sharma to death.

Other convicts Asghar Ali, Abdul Bari, MAKarim, Rao’s brother Shravan Kumar, auto driver Nizam, and Rao’s car driver Shiva have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Verdict comes with consequences, says family

Following the verdict, Pranay’s father Perumala Balaswamy shared his thoughts, expressing both relief and deep sorrow.”The verdict given today in Nalgonda should serve as an eye-opener for criminals. We fought for justice under the banner of Justice for Pranay. Even after my son’s murder, many other honour killings took place, and I hope this verdict will make people rethink such actions,” he said.

Many people asked Balaswamy whether this verdict brought him happiness.”This is not happiness—it is my pain. No one can heal this pain.

I don’t hold grudges against anyone, nor do I wish for revenge. I just want these killings to stop. This verdict proves that law and justice still prevail in our country.”