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YSRCP MLA Thota Trimurtulu sentenced 18 months Imprisonment:- Thota Trimurtulu has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, along with a two lakh fine. The court has finally reached a verdict after a lengthy 27-year trial for the Dalit beheading case. This horrific crime took place on December 29, 1996, in Venkatayapalem, ramachandrapuram mandal of Konaseema district. Thota Trimurtulu, who is currently a ycp MLC and Mandapet candidate, is one of the accused in this case. The investigation of this case lasted for 28 years and faced 148 postponements. Apart from Trimurtulu, nine other individuals were also charged.
Trimurtulu, who is an MLA from ramachandrapuram mandal in east godavari district, was responsible for beheading two Dalits and torturing five others. This incident caused a major uproar across the state. Trimurtulu was briefly jailed for three months but the case has been stuck in the courts ever since. The trial has been ongoing in a special court in Visakhapatnam for the past seven years, with the final verdict expected in 2018. As part of the court's ruling, the victims Koti Chinaraju and Dadala Venkataratnam have been instructed to provide caste verification documents.
The individuals in question were not from the Scheduled Castes (SCs), and the court eventually demanded that they provide their caste certificates. Following the completion of all investigations, Thota Trimurtulu was found guilty and sentenced by the court. Unfortunately, the main witness, Koti Raju, passed away recently, reportedly due to illness. Koti Raju was the brother of the primary victim, Koti Chinaraj. Additionally, two out of the five victims have died, including Puvvala Venkataramana last year. Furthermore, two out of the fifteen witnesses have also passed away. It is worth noting that justice was served in this case, albeit after a lengthy 28-year span since the registration of the Shiromundanam case. Throughout the years, Thota Trimurtulu has switched affiliations between various political parties. Presently, he is associated with the YSRCP and is running as their candidate from Mandapet, while also holding the position of MLC. He previously contested under the Praja Rajyam Party, before later joining the TDP. In 2014, he successfully ran and won as an MLA for TDP, but subsequently lost in a later election. Upon the YCP's rise to power, he joined their ranks and was appointed as an MLC.
(Video Source: TV5 News)
