Prathyusha Death Case: Siddharth Reddy Surrenders in Nampally Court!

A major development has emerged in the sensational death case of Telugu actress Prathyusha that shocked the Telugu states. Siddharth Reddy, who was found guilty in the case, returned from the United States and surrendered before the Nampally court in Hyderabad following directions from the Supreme Court of India. Prathyusha died on February 24, 2002, after consuming a cool drink allegedly mixed with pesticide along with Siddharth Reddy. While she died during treatment at the hospital, Siddharth Reddy survived.

Prathyusha’s mother had fought a long legal battle claiming that it was not a suicide but a case of abetment leading to her daughter’s death. The trial court earlier ruled that Siddharth Reddy had abetted her suicide and sentenced him to five years in prison. Later, the Telangana High Court reduced the sentence to two years. Challenging the High Court verdict, Siddharth Reddy approached the Supreme Court, which recently upheld the High Court’s decision and directed him to surrender within four weeks. Following the order, he returned from the US and surrendered before the Nampally court.

Prathyusha and Siddharth Reddy reportedly fell in love while studying Intermediate in a college in Hyderabad’s SR Nagar. After completing Intermediate, Siddharth Reddy pursued engineering while Prathyusha entered the film industry. Though Prathyusha’s mother initially opposed their marriage and later agreed, Siddharth Reddy’s mother reportedly objected strongly to the alliance. On February 23, 2002, he informed Prathyusha about his mother’s opposition over the phone. Later that evening, he picked her up from a beauty parlour in Panjagutta and the two went out in a car. Around 7:30–8:00 pm, both reached CARE Hospital in Banjara Hills in a critical condition. Prathyusha passed away the next day, while Siddharth Reddy was discharged on March 9.