Senior YSR Congress party leader and former minister Dadisetti Ramalingeshwar Rao alias Dadisetti Raja from Tuni assembly constituency in East Godvari district is likely to get arrested anytime in connection with the murder of a local reporter of a vernacular daily in Tuni in October 2019.
On Tuesday, the state high court dismissed his petition for anticipatory bail in the reporter murder case and asked him to surrender to the police.
Though the Tuni (rural) police booked a murder case against the former minister immediately after the murder, there was no progress in the case then, as he was a high-profile leader in the YSRCP, which was in power then. His name was removed from the charge sheet in 2023.
However, the case was reopened after the Telugu Desam Party-led National Democratic Alliance came to power in Andhra Pradesh.
The family members of the reporter – Kata Satyanarayana of Andhra Jyothy daily, earlier submitted a petition to TDP leader Nara Lokesh during his Yuva Galam padayatra last year.
Anticipating his arrest in the case, Raja moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail. But after hearing the arguments, the high court dismissed his petition on Tuesday.
Apart from Dadisetti Raja, the Tuni rural police registered the case against five others including Gabu Raja, Muralasetti Naga Venkata Ramana, Makilodi Bujji, Peddireddy Suresh and Gabu Ganesh as suspects in the murder case.
Though the slain reporter complained to police on September 10 that he had received threat from the rowdy, they did not take it seriously.