Mariyamma Murder Case: Supreme Court Denies Bail to Nandigam Suresh

The Supreme Court has denied bail to Nandigam Suresh, former YSR Congress Party MP and accused in the murder case of Dalit woman Mariyamma. The court stated it would not intervene until the chargesheet is filed. Upon the request of Suresh’s lawyer for more time to present arguments, the next hearing has been scheduled for January 7.

The incident occurred on December 27, 2020, when Mariyamma was murdered. Suresh’s bail petition was heard yesterday, with senior advocates Kapil Sibal representing the accused and Siddharth Luthra arguing on behalf of the state government. Kapil Sibal contended that Suresh had no direct involvement in the murder and that the allegations stemmed from an attempt to incite unrest between two Dalit factions. He claimed there was no evidence to prove Suresh's participation and alleged that the case was filed to implicate him unfairly.

State counsel Siddharth Luthra highlighted the petitioner's name appearing six times in the FIR and argued that Suresh orchestrated the riots, providing money and alcohol to his associates to incite violence using deadly weapons. He stated that the police had identified 36 individuals who participated in the attack and pointed out that Suresh had nine cases pending against him, including charges of murder and attempted murder. Luthra further alleged that Suresh influenced the investigation during his tenure as an MP.

After hearing arguments, the bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra expressed reluctance to grant bail. The court questioned why Suresh was excluded from the FIR despite being named and suggested it could be due to his party being in power. It also raised concerns about why Suresh's previous criminal cases were omitted in the bail petition. Responding to the bench’s queries, Kapil Sibal requested more time to present a comprehensive argument, leading to the adjournment of the hearing to January 7.