Date of reserved for orders : Date of pronouncement : 13.07.2026 Date of uploading : APHC010618762018 IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI (Special Original Jurisdiction) [3596] MONDAY, THE 13th DAY OF JULY 2026 PRESENT THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE K SURESH REDDY THE HONOURABLE SMT JUSTICE SUMATHI JAGADAM CRIMINAL APPEAL NO: 2372/2018 Between: SRI LOKINEEDI AKKIRAJU, OCC - BUSINESS, R/O. C/O. YERUKULA, BHEEMANAPALLI VILLAGE, UPPALAGUPTHAM MANDAL, EAST GODAVARI DISTRICT. ...APELLANT AND THE STATE OF A P, through S.H.O., Amalapuram, Police Station, East Godavari District., Rep by Public Prosecutor, High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad. ...RESPODENT Counsel for the Appellant: 1. KONA N.D.V.RAMANA RAO 2. - Counsel for the Respondent: 1. PUBLIC PROSECUTOR (AP) 2 The Court made the following: ADVANCE ORDER : (Per Hon’ble Sri Justice K.Suresh Reddy) In the result, the Criminal Appeal is allowed in part setting aside the conviction and sentence recorded against the appellant/accused by the learned II Additional District and Sessions Judge, Amalapuram, East Godavari District, in S.C. No.130 of 2016, dated 11.07.2018 under Section 302 IPC, instead the appellant/accused is convicted for the offence punishable under Section 304 Part-II IPC and sentenced him to suffer Rigorous Imprisonment for a period of seven (07) years while maintaining the fine amount. 2. As the appellant/accused has already undergone more than eight (08) years of imprisonment, including the default sentence, he shall be set at liberty forthwith, if he is not required in connection with any other case or crime. Consequently, miscellaneous petitions, if any, pending shall stand closed. (Detailed Judgment follows.....) JUSTICE K.SURESH REDDY __________________________ JUSTICE SUMATHI JAGADAM Dt. 13.07.2026 Note : After dispatch of the advance order, please send the entire bundle to the Court Masters’ Section for drafting the detailed Judgment. (B/o). SAB 3 THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE K.SURESH REDDY AND THE HONOURABLE SMT JUSTICE SUMATHI JAGADAM Criminal Appeal No.2372 of 2018 (Per Hon’ble Sri Justice K.Suresh Reddy) Date: 13.07.2026 SAB