AP govt. appoints Y Koteswar Rao as Special Public Prosecutor in Rishteshwari suicide case

The government has issued an order appointing Guntur-based senior advocate Y. Koteswara Rao (YK) as Special Public Prosecutor to conduct the prosecution in the suicide case of Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) student M. Rishiteshwari. Another eminent lawyer Mallikarjuna Rao has been appointed as Assistant Special PP. The hearing of POCSO cases in Guntur will be held on the 15th of this month in a special court.

Y Koteswar Rao on Monday said that there was a delay in reaching the court and the lawyers through the prosecution department of the orders issued by the government through GO 364 appointing him as special PP and APP in the case. He said that the orders issued on April 7 last year were handed over on June 28 this year. In the meantime, the recording of the statements of the prosecution witnesses in the case has been completed and the defence evidence on behalf of the accused has reached the stage of recording, he said.

On the 1st of this month, Special PP YK and APP Mallikarjuna Rao, who attended the adjournment of the court, attended the court and handed over a copy of the government order to the magistrate, expressing his readiness to conduct the prosecution. YK requested the court to study the progress made in the case so far, the documents recorded by the witnesses, and other aspects and legally conduct the prosecution. YK said that the case was adjourned to the 15th of this month as per the request of the lawyer on behalf of the accused. In this case, the principal of ANU BRK College Babu Rao, and three BRK students are accused.