Supreme Court Upholds Conviction in Pratyusha Suicide Case

The Supreme Court has reaffirmed the two-year imprisonment of Gudipalli Siddhartha Reddy, convicted for abetting Telugu actress Pratyusha's 2002 suicide. The court's decision refuted allegations of strangulation and rape, confirming that Pratyusha's death was due to poisoning.

The judgment was delivered by a bench comprising justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan, who also dismissed a plea by Pratyusha's mother accusing foul play. Evidence overwhelmingly pointed to poisoning, and the court held Reddy's actions as direct facilitation of the suicide under Section 107 of the IPC.

Dr. Muni Swamy, who conducted the post-mortem, was criticized for presenting premature conclusions that ignited public controversy and shaped media narratives. Initially sentenced to five years, Reddy's imprisonment was reduced to two years by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2011.