Published Oct 14, 2026 | 11:07 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 14, 2026 | 11:07 AM
Sanjush and his Aston Martin (left); his father, Lingamaneni Ramesh, and AP Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan (centre); Bharati Mukhi (right).
Synopsis: Two months after 26-year-old Bharati Mukhi was killed by a luxury SUV outside Inorbit Mall in Hyderabad, Telangana police are yet to file a chargesheet against the accused driver, Lingamaneni Sanjush, son of Jana Sena MP Lingamaneni Ramesh. Sub-inspector Girish Kumar, the investigating officer, told South First that the probe was almost complete, except for the pending FSL report. He said there was no specific date by which the police expected to receive it. A Telangana High Court advocate said the forensic report was not a prerequisite for filing a chargesheet, and that delays could hurt the case.
Two months after a luxury Aston Martin SUV fatally struck 26-year-old Bharati Mukhi, a Lifestyle store employee, outside Inorbit Mall in Hyderabad, the Telangana police are yet to file a chargesheet in the case.
The accused driver, Lingamaneni Sanjush, son of Jana Sena MP Lingamaneni Ramesh, remains free while police await the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report.
An FIR was registered following a complaint by Mukhi’s store manager. Police have invoked Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with causing death by a rash or negligent act that does not amount to culpable homicide. The offence is cognisable but bailable.
Sub-inspector Girish Kumar, the investigating officer, told South First that the probe was almost complete, except for the pending FSL report. He said there was no specific date by which the police expected to receive it.
Police have said the Motor Vehicle Inspection report found no technical fault in the SUV. CCTV footage from the scene has been accessed and preserved, and statements from all eyewitnesses have been recorded. Sanjush tested negative for alcohol and drugs, while blood samples were sent to the FSL.
The pending forensic report covers the blood samples for alcohol and drug testing, CCTV footage for speed analysis, and the examination of evidence collected from the scene.
“FSL reports take time, there is a token system. You can check with other stations as well. We filed a preliminary chargesheet already,” Kumar said.
Under Section 193(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the police must inform the informant or victim about the progress of the investigation within 90 days. Counted from the date of the FIR, the deadline falls on 14 November.
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Bharati Mukhi died on 16 August after she was struck by the SUV allegedly driven by Sanjush at around 3.10 pm. She was rushed to Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills, where doctors declared her dead.
Sanjush’s role in the crash came to public attention only four days later, when videos of the incident went viral on social media. The Cyberabad police issued an official communication about the crash only after the incident triggered widespread outrage.
The police said Sanjush was detained on the day of the crash, tested for alcohol and drugs, and that the SUV was seized. He was not arrested.
One video, recorded by bystanders in the aftermath of the crash, showed Sanjush trying to drive away while Mukhi lay bleeding on the road, surrounded by her colleague and other bystanders. The onlookers blocked the SUV and forced him to step out. The video quickly went viral.
Within hours, the video was no longer publicly viewable on the YouTube channel that had posted it. Highly credible sources told South First that the journalist who runs the channel was made to take it down and had his phone wiped.
Neither the video nor the CCTV footage of the crash has resurfaced in the public domain since.
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The law sets no deadline for a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, but the investigating officer is responsible for following up with the laboratory, according to A Likith Reddy, an advocate at the Telangana High Court. He said forensic evidence is time-sensitive and delays benefit the accused.
“Blood samples are reliable only when examined promptly, and digital evidence such as CCTV footage should be analysed and secured before any question arises about its integrity. The exhibits in this case are limited, so there is no reason why the IO cannot request the lab to examine them on priority,” he told South First.
“The longer the report is delayed, the more room there is for doubt, and that doubt ultimately benefits only the accused.”
Reddy said the FSL report was an expert opinion that corroborated eyewitness accounts, not a precondition for filing a chargesheet.
Section 193 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) requires investigations to be completed without unnecessary delay, he said. Section 193(9) allows a supplementary report to be filed later. The eyewitness statements, CCTV footage, post-mortem report and vehicle inspection report already provide sufficient material for the police to proceed under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), he said.
Reddy said delays also hurt cases that depend on eyewitnesses because memories fade and witnesses can come under pressure, particularly when an accused belongs to an influential family. Trials in such cases already take two to five years, he said, and a slow investigation adds to the delay.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
