Pranay honour killing: Telangana HC defers convict’s appeal as complainant wasn’t served notice; orders fresh hearing after trial papers are shared

HYDERABAD: The Telangana high court on Friday deferred the hearing of a criminal appeal filed by Thirunagaru Sravan Kumar, one of the convicts in the honour killing of Dalit youth Perumalla Pranay Kumar, which took place in Miryalaguda, Nalgonda district, in 2018. Sravan Kumar has challenged the life sentence awarded to him by a Nalgonda district court and is seeking to have the conviction set aside.The court postponed proceedings after it was brought to its attention that notice had been served to the complainant, Amrutha Varshini, Pranay's wife, only after arguments in the appeal had commenced. Amrutha's counsel strongly objected to the continuation of the hearing, pointing out that substantial submissions had already been made on behalf of the petitioner (Sravan Kumar) before the complainant was formally notified.

Sravan Kumar is Amrutha's paternal uncle.

The high court said that although it had directed the additional public prosecutor (APP) on April 22, 2025, to ensure that notice was served to Amrutha, the actual serving of notice took place only on June 12, after several rounds of arguments had already taken place.Meanwhile, the public prosecutor (PP) opposed hearing the petition for suspension of sentence, citing the absence of lower court records, which he said were essential for the court to fairly evaluate the appeal.

In response, Sravan Kumar's counsel argued that detailed arguments had been presented since May 1, 2025, and all relevant documents were already before the court.However, the court recorded that the high court registry had received the trial court records, and that paper book preparation-a compilation of trial documents for the appeal-was underway as of June 16, 2025.In the interest of procedural fairness and to ensure all parties are adequately represented, the high court ruled that the suspension petition would be heard only after the paper books are completed and shared. It also directed Sravan Kumar's counsel to re-argue the matter in full, once the documents are circulated, to provide the complainant and all parties a fair opportunity to respond.