In a recent ruling, the Andhra Pradesh High Court granted interim relief to former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and others in a hit-and-run case linked to the death of a YSRCP supporter named Cheeli Singaiah, during a roadshow in Guntur district on 18th June 2025. Singaiah was crushed to death by the car in which Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party leader was seated.
The court, in its order dated 27th June, restrained police from taking coercive action against Reddy and other co-accused until the 1st of July, while adjourning the hearing on their petitions to quash the FIR.
Singaiah, a 55-year-old supporter of the YSRCP, was crushed to death by the vehicle of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy during a road show on 18th June 2025. The incident happened near the Lord Anjaneya temple on the National Highway in Etukuru village, Guntur district when Reddy was returning from Rentapalla village in Palnadu district after visiting the family of a former sarpanch, who committed suicide.
55-year-old Cheeli Singaiah lost his life after being run over by Reddy’s car after he slipped and fell while trying to shower flowers on the former CM. The front right wheel of Reddy’s car ran over Singaiah’s neck, leading to his death. The horrifying incident was caught on camera, and the videos showing the man being crushed by Reddy’s car went viral on the internet.
Initially, the police claimed that the victim was run over by a private vehicle, which was not part of the official convoy of YSRCP. However, the videos of the incident surfaced on social media show that the victim was brutally crushed under the front wheel of a black car as Reddy was stretching out from the car window on the side of the passenger seat.
In this case, Jagan Mohan Reddy has been named as Accused No. 2 and his driver as Accused No. 1 under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. In addition, YSRCP MP Y.V. Subba Reddy, former ministers Perni Venkatramaiah and Vidadala Rajini, and Reddy’s assistant K. Nageswara Reddy have also been named as the accused.
Andhra Pradesh HC drags Kumbh stampede into hit-and-run case: Is it appropriate?
Presiding over the case, Justice K Srinivas Reddy questioned the rationale behind charging the passengers in a vehicle for a road accident. The judge asked the Advocate General, Dammalpati Srinivas, to explain how those seated inside the car can be held responsible for the accident. Justice Reddy equated the present case with the Mahakumbh stampede to assert that such accidents happen, suggesting that such incidents happen even though preventive measures are deployed.
“Despite all precautions, accidents still happened even at the Kumbh Mela,” Justice Reddy said.
Justice Reddy’s reference to the Kumbh Mela, a once-in-many-years Hindu religious gathering of crores of people, comes across as an attempt to contextualise the present case as nothing more than an unfortunate but sometimes unavoidable accident. The court’s analogy implies that even well-planned events, be it Kumbh Mela or a political roadshow, can lead to unintended tragedies and may not essentially reflect criminal intent or negligence on the part of the accused persons, in this case, Jagan Mohan Reddy and others.
However, this comparison is deeply problematic. The Kumbh Mela attracts millions of people from various parts of the world to one place in a dynamic environment, where crowd management is inherently challenging. As seen during the Mahakumbh stampede earlier this year, sometimes the sheer size of the crowd, rumours and desperation of people also trigger a stampede. At a gathering like the Kumbh Mela, no amount of preparation is enough; however, Jagan Mohan Reddy’s roadshow, though crowded, was a controlled political event with a convoy of vehicles. While crowds growing passionate at such events is not unusual, however, equating a road ‘accident’ involving a specific vehicle to a massive religious gathering is unjustified and mires the question of accountability.
Perhaps inadvertently, but this analogy trivialises the incident by framing it as some sort of inevitable accident and also diminishes the value of the innocent life lost. While even a Kumbh Mela stampede does not absolve the authorities of accountability just because of the sheer scale of crowd, an alleged hit-and-run case, especially wherein a popular politician’s convoy is involved, warrants investigation into several specifics, including the driver’s conduct, whether the convoy adhered to protocols or not, the conduct of those seated in the car at the moment the car crushed the victim and after that, among others.
This oversimplified comparison of the present case with Kumbh Mela stampedes undermines the probe into whether recklessness or negligence contributed to the victim’s death. The court, invoking an unrelated example, downplays the seriousness of the allegations levelled against the accused persons before a proper investigation is conducted.
Not to forget, the police initially claimed that the victim was run over by a private vehicle, which was not part of the official convoy of YSRCP. However, the videos of the incident surfaced on social media show that the victim was brutally crushed under the front wheel of a black car as Reddy was stretching out from the car window on the side of the passenger seat.
It can be seen in the video that Reddy’s car did not stop and kept moving even after the victim was crushed under it. The family of the victim has demanded an investigation into the incident.
⚠️Warning ⚠️
— Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) June 22, 2025
Disturbing content.
Former Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy’s car crushed & dragged 70-year-old Singiah. Singiah was declared dead at the hospital later.
Singiah was a big supporter of Jagan Reddy. But Jagan didn't care about him and he continued the rally.
These… pic.twitter.com/Yr6Ed13nAW
Besides, Guntur Range IG Sarva Shrestha Tripathi said that vehicles exceeding the permitted number were present in Reddy’s convoy. “It’s unfortunate that the victim died in such a manner. Preliminary findings indicate that around 30 to 35 vehicles were in the convoy, even though only three were officially permitted,” said IG Tripathi.
The rich and powerful always get away easy
However, it seems that the rich and powerful often get away easily, especially in cases involving allegations of hit-and-run. Jagan Mohan Reddy and others approached the court seeking the quashing of the FIR, and the court granted interim relief after invoking unrelated examples like Kumbh Mela stampedes, reeks of privilege and dilutes the seriousness of the matter even as an innocent man has lost his life.
Even in the 2024 Pune Porsche case, it was seen how a rich brat was granted bail within hours of ramming his Porsche Taycan car into a vehicle in an inebriated state and killing two people. Besides an unusually quick bail, the Juvenile Justice Board ordered the accused to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, working with Yerwada traffic police for 15 days and undergoing de-addiction counselling.
From the Jessica Lal Murder case (1999), Sanjeev Nanda BMW hit-and-run case (1999), the 2017 Punjab and Haryana Court verdict reducing jail term of rash driver who killed one, the 2016 Mercedes hit and run case, or the one involving a Bollywood actor, there are numerous such cases wherein the police response was sluggish, and punishments were minimal. Now the Sangaiah hit-and-run case, is further hinting that we have a two-tiered justice system wherein high-profile accused have the boon of the leniency of the ‘system’.
While the probe in the Sangaiah hit-and-run case is still ongoing, the court has not only granted interim relief to Reddy and others, but has already declared the incident as an ‘accident’ and likened it to deaths in a Kumbh Mela stampede. In a system where influence outpaces accountability, it remains to be seen whether the powerful are held accountable beyond interim reliefs and insensitive analogies.
