The advocates had often clashed with local politicians and officials. On 17 February 2021, while returning to Hyderabad after a court hearing in Manthani, the couple’s car was intercepted near Kalvacherla village in Ramagiri Mandal, Peddapalli district.
Published Aug 12, 2025 | 8:30 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 12, 2025 | 9:06 PM
The Supreme Court of India
Synopsis: The Supreme Court, on 12 August, ordered the transfer of the investigation into the 2021 double murder of Telangana High Court advocates Gattu Vaman Rao and PV Nagamani to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The couple, known for their activism on issues including environmental protection, illegal constructions, and human rights violations, were hacked to death on 17 February 2021. The court also ordered protection for the petitioner and victim’s father, Gattu Kishan Rao, citing concerns for his safety.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, 12 August, ordered the investigation into the 2021 double murder of advocates Gattu Vaman Rao and his wife PV Nagamani to be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Vaman Rao and Nagamani, both practising at the Telangana High Court in Hyderabad, were known for filing frequent Public Interest Litigations (PILs) on issues ranging from environmental protection and illegal constructions to human rights violations. The couple were killed in 2021 while returning to Hyderabad from a court hearing by two assailants.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh, hearing SLP (Crl) No. 9145/2021, noted that the Telangana government had no objection to a CBI probe.
The court directed forensic verification of a crucial video in the case, which the state confirmed as genuine, and ordered the CBI to take over the investigation. The agency has been tasked with filing a final report and deciding whether further or fresh investigation is needed.
The apex court also issued direction to the CBI to provide protection to petitioner Gattu Kishan Rao, the father of Vaman Rao, citing concerns for his safety.
While granting interim protection to the existing accused, the court clarified that this would not prevent the CBI from arresting any new suspects identified during the probe.
“At long last, justice has been served. I had faith in the judiciary, and my trust has been vindicated. I hope the guilty will be brought to book,” Vaman Rao told South First.
He alleged that apart from the seven accused in the case, “several other big fish” were involved.
He claimed to have informed the police and written to the then DIG of Warangal about the alleged involvement of former TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti, now BRS) MLA and Zilla Panchayat Chairman Putta Madhu, whose name was not included in the FIR.
Telangana’s IT and Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu said the order reinforced public faith in the judicial system. He said that justice for the victims’ family would only be served if the true culprits and the influential figures from the then government who allegedly aided them are punished.
He criticised the previous BRS government for its inaction in the case and accused the administration of failing to conduct an impartial investigation and shielding the real perpetrators.
He expressed anguish over the fact that the then government authorities, responsible for delivering justice to the elderly parents who lost their son and daughter-in-law, instead misled the investigation to protect the actual killers.
In a separate statement, advocate Manthani Shashibhushan Kache hoped that the CBI’s investigation will bring the truth to light, expose the conspirators, strengthen faith in the judicial system, and deliver justice to the victims’ family.
The activist couple had often clashed with local politicians and officials. One contentious case they pursued was the alleged custodial death at the Manthani police station in Peddapalli district.
They wrote to the High Court, which treated their letter as a PIL. In September 2020, they approached the court alleging harassment and threats to their lives from the police, linking these to their exposure of the custodial death and other irregularities.
On 17 February 2021, while returning to Hyderabad after a court hearing in Manthani, the couple’s car was intercepted near Kalvacherla village in Ramagiri Mandal, Peddapalli district.
Two assailants, armed with sickles and knives, dragged Vaman Rao out of the vehicle and repeatedly hacked him. Nagamani, who tried to intervene, was also brutally attacked.
The attackers fled, leaving the couple in a pool of blood. Bystanders captured the assault on video, which quickly went viral. In a barely audible dying declaration on one such recording, Vaman Rao named Kunta Srinivas, a local TRS leader, as the mastermind. Forensic analysis later confirmed the video’s authenticity, including the audio implicating Srinivas.
Both victims were declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. Initial police findings pointed to personal enmity linked to the couple’s legal battles, including disputes over alleged illegal constructions and temple-related issues involving TRS leaders.
The murders shocked the legal fraternity, prompting statewide protests by advocates demanding better protection for lawyers. The Telangana High Court took suo motu cognisance and directed the state to ensure a swift and thorough investigation.
The police arrested three suspects the day after the killings – prime accused Kunta Srinivas, TRS Manthani Mandal unit president; Akkapaka Kumar; and another associate. Over time, four more individuals were arrested, bringing the total number of accused to seven. All were eventually released on bail.
DNA evidence from the crime scene linked the accused to the murders. A charge sheet was filed on 19 May 2021 before the Principal Judicial Magistrate of First Class, Manthani, and the case was committed to the Principal District and Sessions Court, Karimnagar.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
