In a significant development concerning the alleged custodial death of Gade Sai Krishna, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has permitted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to take suspended Circle Inspector S.S.V.V. Nagaraju into police custody for eight days, from July 9 to July 16. This order modifies certain conditions previously imposed by a lower court, allowing the SIT to conduct the investigation, including crime scene reconstruction and evidence collection, in Vijayawada.
The High Court directed that Nagaraju be taken from Rajamahendravaram Central Jail to Vijayawada, including the Krishnalanka Police Station, which is the site of the alleged offense. The court mandated that every movement of the accused during transit be videographed. The original video recordings and all CCTV footage from the custody period are to be submitted to the Vijayawada Magistrate Court by July 17. The Superintendent of Rajamahendravaram Central Jail has been instructed to preserve and submit the original CCTV footage without alteration.
The SIT had approached the High Court challenging the conditions set by the Second Additional Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Vijayawada. While the lower court had granted police custody of Nagaraju until July 10, it had restricted the questioning to the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison and mandated continuous audio and video recording of the entire interrogation process. The SIT argued that these conditions would hamper the investigation, particularly the need to collect physical evidence and reconstruct the crime scene.
Justice K. Maheswara Rao, presiding over the High Court hearing, observed that Nagaraju faces serious allegations, including murder and destruction of evidence, and that Gade Sai Krishna’s body is yet to be recovered. The court also noted allegations of deliberate destruction of CCTV footage and hard disks related to the relevant period. The High Court stated that restricting the interrogation solely to the jail premises would impede the powers of the investigating agency, citing Supreme Court precedents that support the discretion of the investigating officer in choosing the location for interrogation. The court emphasized that the probe must be conducted in a fair, scientific, and transparent manner, while also directing the SIT to protect Nagaraju’s life, safety, and dignity during custody.
The alleged custodial death of Gade Sai Krishna, 25, came to light after his mother, Vijaya Lakshmi, filed a complaint on June 19. She alleged that her son was picked up by the police on May 9 for questioning in a case and subsequently tortured and beaten to death in custody. A case was registered against Nagaraju under sections of wrongful confinement, murder, and destruction of evidence of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The SIT was formed on June 21 to investigate the matter, headed by Inspector General (Law and Order) M. Ravi Prakash.
The investigation has reportedly recovered key material evidence from the terrace of the Krishnalanka police station, including a lathi with suspected stains, bones, burnt ash, and a partially burnt steel wrist chain, which have been sent for forensic examination. The SIT has also alleged that Nagaraju failed to inform Sai Krishna’s family about his custody and deliberately concealed the fact that Sai Krishna had been apprehended, thereby attempting to obstruct justice. Furthermore, the SIT informed the court that CCTV footage from the police station covering the period from May 1 to June 1, 2026, was unavailable in the DVR/NVR system.
The mother of the deceased has appealed to the SIT to expedite the investigation to locate her son’s body and perform the last rites, alleging a wider conspiracy involving “big names.” She has demanded the identification of all individuals involved in threatening her, interrogating her son, and participating in his torture. The Human Rights Forum (HRF) Andhra Pradesh has also raised concerns about the hearing process, calling for a judicial magistrate to examine custodial death cases in line with National Human Rights Commission guidelines.
The Chenab Times News Desk