Telangana court hands death penalty to man in 2018 honour killing case

Hyderabad, Mar 10 (PTI) A court in Nalgonda district of Telangana on Monday handed out death penalty to one of the accused in the sensational honour killing of a Dalit man in 2018.

The Second ADJ cum SC/ST court awarded capital punishment to Subhash Kumar Sharma, from Bihar, while sentencing six other accused to life imprisonment.

They were found guilty under relevant sections of IPC, SC/ST (POA) Act 1989 and Indian Arms Act-1959.

According to the prosecution, on September 14, 2018, Pranay Kumar (23), was brutally murdered in Miryalguda town of Nalgonda district.

The killing of Pranay Kumar, who married an upper caste woman, had sparked outrage in the state.

On September 18, 2018 eight people, including the woman’s father Maruti Rao and uncle were arrested, in what turned out to be a case of contract killing of Rs 1 crore.

Maruti Rao, who opposed the marriage of his daughter with Pranay Kumar, had conspired with other accused to eliminate his son-in-law.

Maruti Rao had allegedly died by suicide at a lodge here in 2020.

The arrested included two men, who were acquitted in the murder of former Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya.

Pranay and the woman got married in January 2018. She had accused her father Maruti Rao of being behind her husband's murder.

Meanwhile, Pranay's parents told media on Monday that the verdict in the case should be an eye-opener to all those who have caste-based idiosyncrasies and resort to violence.

After the court order was passed, the woman's cousin, broke down in the court premises, claiming that her father was innocent. She was asked by the police to leave the premises. PTI VVK SJR VVK ROH