INDIA: ANDHRA COURT AWARDS DEATH PENALTY TO 5 IN 2015 MURDER OF CHITTOOR MAYOR, HER HUSBAND

November 2, 2025:

Five persons accused of murdering Chittoor Mayor Katari Anuradha and her husband Mohan were sentenced to death by a sessions court in Andhra Pradesh on October 31, 2025.
Those who were granted the capital punishment were identified as Chandrasekhar, GS Venkatachalapathi, Jayaprakash Reddy, Manjunath and Venkatesh.
The attack took place on November 17, 2015, when assailants entered the Chittoor Municipal Corporation office disguised in burqas and opened fire on Anuradha inside her chamber. Her husband Mohan, who rushed to her aid, was also killed in the assault.
The prime accused, Chandrasekhar, was Anuradha’s nephew, and police said the motive stemmed from property and political disputes within the family.
On October 24, the Chittoor XI Additional District and Sessions Court had convicted the five persons in the double murder case.
The quantum of punishment was to be pronounced later.
Initially, the police had registered an FIR in connection with the case against Chandrasekhar and 23 others.
Later, a chargesheet in the case was filed in the court.
One of the accused was discharged due to lack of evidence, while another died during the trial. Two others continued to remain in remand.
The case, which had been pending for nearly a decade, faced several adjournments due to procedural and evidentiary reasons.