Hyderabad: A special court in Nalgonda has delivered its final judgment in the Pranay murder case, sentencing second accused Subhash Sharma to death and awarding life imprisonment to six others involved in the crime.

The brutal murder, which took place on September 14, 2018, was an honour killing orchestrated by Pranay’s father-in-law, T Maruthi Rao, first accused who later died by suicide in 2020.

Pranay Kumar, a Dalit youth, was hacked to death with a machete while returning from a hospital with his five-month-pregnant wife, Amrutha Varshini, and his mother. The murder was carried out by hired killers, allegedly at the behest of Maruthi Rao, who opposed his daughter’s inter-caste marriage.

The court found Subhash Sharma, a contract killer from Bihar, guilty of executing the murder and sentenced him to death. The other accused, including Amrutha’s uncle Shravan Kumar, were sentenced to life imprisonment. During the sentencing, the convicts pleaded for leniency, arguing their families would suffer due to their imprisonment.

The case, which sparked outrage across Telangana, is considered a landmark ruling against honour killings. Legal experts believe the verdict sends a strong message against caste-based violence, reinforcing the need for stricter measures to prevent such crimes in the future.