Court sentences Suri's murderer to life imprisonment

Hyderabad court on Tuesday sentenced to life Bhanu Kiran, a major suspect in the murder of criminal Gangula Suranarayana Reddy alias Maddelachervu Suri.

The court sentenced another accused Manmohan Singh Bhadauria to 5 years however acquitted four others.

The judgement came nearly eight years after Suri, a key suspect in former Andhra Pradesh Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Paritala Ravi's murder, was shot dead in a car in the town.

The incident had created a flutter in then undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Bhanu, an aide of Suri, shot him dead while they were returning home after meeting a attorney on January 3, 2011. He killed Suri following differences over some money matters.

Bhanu was arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in 2012. His other associates were arrested after.

Suri, a Congress leader involved in many criminal cases within the faction-ridden Anantapur district, was key suspect in the killing of Paritala Ravi, who was gunned down in Anantapur city Jan 24, 2005.

The factional competition between the families of Ravi and Suri had hit the national headlines in 2010 following the release of "Rakta Charitra", a bilingual film by Ram Gopal Varma.

Reacting to court verdict, Suri's widow Bhanumati said Bhanu Kiran should have been sentenced to death. She said Bhanu had taken Rs 1 crore from Suri's enemies to kill him.