Siddhartha Reddy, convicted in a case related to the death of Telugu actress Prathyusha, surrendered in a Nampally court on Monday (March 16) after the Supreme Court upheld his two-year sentence and ordered him to surrender within four weeks. He returned to India from the United States to comply with the court’s directions.
Prathyusha and Siddhartha Reddy drank soft drink laced with poison and she died while receiving treatment on 24 February 2002, while Siddhartha Reddy survived. The actress’ mother fought a long legal battle after her daughter’s death, claiming it was murder.
The court later convicted Siddharth Reddy of abetting suicide and sentenced him to five years in prison. The sentence was subsequently reduced to two years by the High Court. The Supreme Court recently dismissed Reddy’s appeal against the conviction and effectively upheld the two-year sentence and ordered him to surrender.
According to the case records, Prathyusha and Siddhartha Reddy were in a relationship since 1993 after meeting during their college days in Hyderabad.
While the actress’s mother eventually accepted their plans for the wedding, Siddhartha Reddy’s mother was against the relationship and reportedly threatened to commit suicide if the wedding went ahead, becoming a major source of conflict between the families.
On 23 February 2002, Siddharth Reddy picked up Prathyusha from a beauty salon in Punjagutta. Hours later, both were rushed to a private hospital in critical condition after consuming a poisoned soft drink. Prathyusha died the following day during treatment, while Siddhartha Reddy recovered and was discharged from the hospital on 9 March.
Published – 16 March 2026 21:30 IST
