Reddy, who ran 24 colleges in his state and was known for giving heavy donations to educational institutions, was attending a function at Markapur near Ongole Dec 1, 1995, when five men stormed in and shot both the MP and his gunman Chaudhary Venkataratnam. Both succumbed to their injuries in hospital the same day.

However, in the exchange of fire between the MP's gunman and the assailants, Ganesh too had sustained a gunshot injury and was arrested by the police the same day along with his weapon and the blood-stained pink shirt that he was wearing during the attack.

The CBI, which probed the crime, made eight people accused in the case, but could arrest only Ganesh and Prakash, who were put on trial.

Though the trial court convicted both and sentenced them to life imprisonment, the high court acquitted Prakash owing to the lack of clinching evidence against him.