Amravati, May 13 (). YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Legislative Council member Ananth Babu has suffered a major setback in Andhra Pradesh. Rajamahendravaram special court has canceled the bail of Dalit driver Vidhi Subramaniam in the murder case. Anant Babu has been facing serious allegations of threatening witnesses and luring money to change his statement.
Ananth Babu (who had received bail from the Supreme Court) was arrested in Rajamahendravaram on 24 April. His arrest took place when he came out of the court after the hearing of his bail cancellation petition. At present he is kept in Rajamahendravaram Central Jail.
A case was registered in this matter on April 20 at Sarpavaram Police Station in Kakinada. Four key witnesses in the murder case had complained that Ananth Babu offered them huge sums of money to change their statements. When he refused to accept the bribe, he was threatened with death.
Three witnesses alleged that MLC supporters forcibly confined them in an apartment and pressurized them to withdraw old statements. Also, he was asked to give false testimony in the court. After this the police registered a case against Ananth Babu for influencing witnesses and criminal intimidation.
Special Public Prosecutor Muppala Subbarao had filed a petition in the court saying that the conditions of the bail granted by the Supreme Court had been violated. Trying to influence witnesses is against the orders of the court, hence his bail should be canceled immediately.
Ananth Babu (whose real name is Ananth Uday Bhaskar) is accused of murdering his former driver Subramaniam. On May 19, 2022, 34-year-old Subramaniam died under suspicious circumstances in Kakinada. It is alleged that Anant Babu himself reached the victim’s house at 2 o’clock in the night with the dead body in his car and called it a road accident.
However, the family suspected murder and refused to accept the body. After this incident, there was a strong protest by Dalit organizations and family members. Later YSRCP suspended Ananth Babu from the party.
Due to the charge sheet not being filed within 90 days, he got default bail in December 2022. The TDP coalition government that came to power in June 2024 decided to re-investigate the case and in July 2025, the SC/ST special court ordered a re-investigation.
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vku/pm
