A local court judge in Nandigama, NTR district, on Monday questioned whether throwing a stone at someone constitutes an attempt to murder under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as it might not necessarily be intended to kill.
The comment came from the senior civil judge in response to a remand report filed by police against four individuals accused of attempting to murder then-opposition leader and current Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu during the Bhaadude Bhaadudu program on November 4, 2022.
The judge asked the police whether being hit by a stone could realistically result in a fatal injury.
“How can you include IPC Section 307? Isn’t IPC Section 120(B) [criminal conspiracy] sufficient?” the judge inquired.
The accused — Kanneganti Sajjan Rao, Bezawada Karthik, Parimi Kishore, and former Kancharakacherla AMC Chairman Martha Srinivas Rao — were presented before the court.
According to the remand report, the accused conspired to attack Naidu and executed their plan, allegedly devising the strategy at the YSRCP office an hour before his visit to Nandigama.
The report stated that Bejawada Karthik and Parimi Kishore hid behind a flagpole in the dark and threw stones at Naidu, who was under Z+ category security. It alleged that the stones, if they had struck vulnerable areas, could have caused fatal injuries.
The judge expressed skepticism about the inclusion of IPC 307, asking whether the police had analyzed the stones or assessed their potential for lethal harm. He suggested that the original charge under IPC Section 120(B) appeared more appropriate.
After reviewing the police’s explanation, the judge approved the remand of the accused but granted them bail on a personal bond, instructing them to submit the required bonds within 2-3 days.
Meanwhile, the police have announced plans to challenge the bail order in the district court in Machilipatnam.
