Govt planning to set up fast-track court to try Vaishnavi murder culprits: Rosaiah

Andhra Pradesh chief minister K Rosaiah today said the government was considering setting up a fast-track court to try the case related to the "gruesome" murder of nine-year-old Naga Vaishnavi in Vijayawada.

Addressing a press conference after a high-level review meeting with home minister P Sabita Reddy, DGP RR Girish Kumar and other top police officials here, the chief minister termed the murder as "most gruesome" and said the government would bring culprits to book.

Vaishnavi was kidnapped and murdered on January 30 allegedly by her close relatives in Vijayawada.

"Rather than trying the case under Criminal Procedure Code in the normal course, we are planning to set up a fast-track court to ensure speedy disposal of the case. In fact, there is such public outcry against this brutal act that everyone is demanding that the government eliminate the culprits in an encounter. But, we will have to go by the law," the chief minister observed.

He said Vaishnavi was previously kidnapped in 2004 as well but her family "settled" the issue privately and secured her release.

"Even this time, her father Prabhakar did not cooperate much with the police in cracking the case. Unfortunately Prabhakar too died of heart-attack following the shock caused by his daughter's death," Rosaiah pointed out.

The state government sent revenue minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, animal husbandry minister KP Sarathy and 'Arogyasri' minister P Satyanarayana to Vijayawada to console Vaishnavi's family.