Chittoor court delivers death sentence in Katari couple murder case

TIRUPATI: In a major judgment that brings closure to a decade-long legal battle, the Chittoor VI Additional District Sessions Court on Friday sentenced five men to death in the 2015 double murder case of former Chittoor Mayor Katari Anuradha and her husband Katari Mohan.

Judge N Srinivasa Rao delivered the verdict under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, terming the offence as one belonging to the 'rarest of rare' category. The convicts, S Chandrasekhar alias Chintu (Mohan’s nephew), Govinda Swami Srinivasayya Venkatachalapathi, Jayaprakash Reddy, Manjunath, and Muniratnam Venkatesh, were found guilty of conspiring and executing the killings inside the Chittoor Municipal Corporation office nearly ten years ago.

The case date backs to November 17, 2015, when a group of assailants disguised in burqas entered the Chittoor Municipal Corporation building and attacked the couple. Anuradha, who was then the Mayor of Chittoor, was shot at point-blank range inside her chamber. Her husband, Mohan, who rushed to the spot on hearing the gunshots, was chased and stabbed multiple times as he tried to flee through the council hall. He succumbed to his injuries later that evening at a hospital in Vellore.

The investigation revealed that the attack was the result of a long-standing family and financial disputes, with Mohan’s nephew Chandrasekhar identified as the key conspirator. Police initially charged 28 individuals in connection with the case. However, the court later excluded Kasaram Ramesh after he proved his non-involvement, while another accused, S Srinivasachari died during the course of the trial. This reduced the number of accused to 21.

The trial faced multiple adjournments over the years owing to procedural hurdles and issues related to evidence. After recording the statements of 122 witnesses, the court on October 24 convicted the five accused, while acquitting the others. The court, which reserved its decision on the sentence, confirmed the death penalty on Friday, taking into account the brutality of the act and the premeditated nature of the killings.

Reacting to the judgment, Katari Hemalatha, Chairperson of the Chittoor Urban Development Authority and daughter-in-law of the slain couple, said the verdict marked the end of a long legal struggle. "Justice has finally been delivered. The judgment has brought some solace to our family, and the punishment rightly reflects the seriousness of the offence”, she said.

The verdict was pronounced under strict three-tier security at the Chittoor court complex. In view of the case’s sensitivity, the district police imposed Section 144 across the city on Friday. Soon after the judgment, the convicted individuals were taken back to prison under tight police escort.