Supreme Court – Daily Orders
Anantha Satya Udaya Bhaskara Rao @ … vs The State Of Andhra Pradesh on 20 February, 2026
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CRIMINAL APPEAL NO.2260/2022
ANANTHA SATYA UDAYA BHASKARA RAO @ ANANTHA BABU APPELLANT(S)
VERSUS
THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH & ANR. RESPONDENT(S)
O R D E R
1. The appellant herein is stated to be a sitting member of
the Legislative Council in Andhra Pradesh and belongs to a
political party, which is now in opposition. He is accused
in FIR No.195/2022, registered at Police Station Sarpavaram,
Andhra Pradesh, under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the Indian
Penal Code, 1860 (in short, the ‘IPC’) and Section 3(2)(v)
of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
2. Conscious of the fact that any observation by this Court
at this stage may cause prejudice to the parties, we
nevertheless find no reason, upon perusal of the impugned
order, to doubt that the police/investigating agency has
been hobnobbing with the appellant–accused. All efforts have
Signature Not Verified
been made to offer him default bail under Section 167(2) of
Digitally signed by
ARJUN BISHT
Date: 2026.02.24
16:39:11 IST
the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, on a platter. However,
Reason:
the High Court turned down such a prayer, which has given
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rise to these proceedings.
3. When the instant appeal came up for hearing on
12.12.2022, this Court granted leave and directed that the
appellant be released on bail. He has, thus, been enjoying
the benefit of interim bail for more than 2 ½ years.
4. On our repeated query, Mr. Sidharth Luthra, learned
Senior Counsel for the State of Andhra Pradesh, informs us
that till date only a supplementary charge-sheet has been
filed. We are constrained to observe that this again shows
laxity, if not complicity, on the part of the State police
with the accused, exhibiting the highest degree of
negligence in the investigation of a heinous offence.
5. In this light and in order to strike a balance between
the right to liberty on one hand and fair trial to the
victim of the crime and his family, we dispose of this
appeal with the following directions:
(i) We request the Hon’ble Chief Justice of the Andhra
Pradesh High Court to entrust the trial of this matter to a
fairly Senior Judicial Officer, who shall take it up on a
weekly basis.
(ii) Simultaneously, if any further investigation is
required, the same shall also be completed by 31.03.2026.
(iii)The issue regarding framing of charges shall be decided
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by 18.04.2026.
(iv) The prosecution is directed to produce the entire
evidence within a period of four months, i.e., by
31.08.2026. In the first instance, the eye-witnesses and
other material witnesses shall be examined.
(v) The Trial Court shall grant a reasonable time to the
appellant to lead defence evidence, if any, within a period
of two months.
(vi) The trial must come to an end by 30.11.2026.
6. With a view to facilitating the conclusion of the trial
in a time-bound manner, the High Court is requested to spare
the Judicial Officer largely from other matters so that the
current trial proceedings can be taken up at least once a
week.
7. We request the Portfolio-cum-Administrative Judge of the
High Court to monitor the ongoing trial only for the limited
purpose of compliance with the directions issued
hereinabove.
8. The appellant’s continuation on bail shall entirely
depend upon his conduct during the pendency of these
proceedings. If it is found that he has made any direct or
indirect attempt to influence the witnesses or tamper with
the prosecution evidence, the necessary consequences must
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follow.
9. The High Court is requested not to pass any interim
order staying the trial, and if any such issue arises, the
parties shall be at liberty to approach this Court.
……………………..CJI.
(SURYA KANT)
……………………….J.
(JOYMALYA BAGCHI)
……………………….J.
(VIPUL M. PANCHOLI)
NEW DELHI;
FEBRUARY 20, 2026
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ITEM NO.3 COURT NO.1 SECTION II
S U P R E M E C O U R T O F I N D I A
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Criminal Appeal No(s).2260/2022
ANANTHA SATYA UDAYA BHASKARA RAO @ ANANTHA BABU Appellant(s)
VERSUS
THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH & ANR. Respondent(s)
IA No.194607/2022 - PERMISSION TO FILE ADDITIONAL
DOCUMENTS/FACTS/ANNEXURES, IA No. 167403/2022 – PERMISSION TO FILE
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS/FACTS/ANNEXURES
Date : 20-02-2026 This matter was called on for hearing today.
CORAM : HON’BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE
HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE JOYMALYA BAGCHI
HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE VIPUL M. PANCHOLI
For Appellant(s) : Mr. S Nagamuthu, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Ananga Bhattacharyya, Adv.
Ms. Devahuti Tamuli, Adv.
Mr. Krishanu Barua, Adv.
M/S. Veritas Legis, AOR
For Respondent(s) :Mr. Sidharth Luthra, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Guntur Pramod Kumar, AOR
Ms. Prerna Singh, Adv.
Mr. Karl P Rustomkhan, Adv.
Mr. Sohail Ahmed, Adv.
Mr. Parv Arora, Adv.
Mr. Yelamanchili Shiva Santosh Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Rudrajit Ghosh, Adv.
Mr. Avi Leuna, Adv.
Mr. Ritik Raj, Adv.
Mr. Tarun Gupta, AOR
UPON hearing the counsel the Court made the following
O R D E R
1. The appeal is disposed of in terms of the signed order.
2. All pending applications, if any, also stand disposed of.
(ARJUN BISHT) (PREETHI T.C.) ASTT. REGISTRAR-cum-PS ASSISTANT REGISTRAR
(signed order is placed on the file)
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