India Supreme Court Upholds 2-Year Sentence in 2002 Actress Suicide

India's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a two-year prison sentence for Gudipalli Siddhartha Reddy, convicted of abetting the 2002 suicide of Telugu actress Pratyusha, and ordered him to surrender to authorities within four weeks. The ruling, delivered by a bench comprising Justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan, brings to a close a legal battle that has spanned more than two decades since Pratyusha's death in Hyderabad.

Pratyusha, a rising star in the Telugu and Tamil film industries, died on February 24, 2002, at age 23 from organophosphate poisoning after consuming a pesticide-laced soft drink in what authorities described as a suicide pact with Reddy. The couple, who had been in a relationship for six years, reportedly faced opposition from Reddy's family, despite Pratyusha's mother initially approving of the alliance. On February 23, 2002, they purchased the pesticide, mixed it with a carbonated beverage and ingested it in a car. Regretting their decision, they drove to Care Hospital in Hyderabad for treatment, where Pratyusha succumbed despite medical intervention, while Reddy survived.

The bench affirmed that Reddy's actions fell under Section 107 of the Indian Penal Code for...