In a sensational judgement, former MLA Chengala Venkat Rao was awarded life imprisonment on Wednesday in connection with a murder case.

A man named Pusala Konda was killed in 2007 in a possibly planned dispute regarding the formation of Beach Minerals Company (BMC) at Bangarammapeta in Nakkapalli Mandal, Visakhapatnam. Venkat Rao, who was the sitting MLA from Payakaraopet Assembly Constituency then, was accused of aiding the murder.

Besides the Ex-MLA, 15 others were convicted and awarded life imprisonment whereas five women-convicts in this case were sentenced to two years in jail after the hearing on Wednesday. The verdict given by the Anakapalli Sessions court has created tremors in the Telugu states.

Chengala Venkat Rao served as TDP MLA of Payakaraopet constituency from 1999 to 2009. He contested the 2014 elections on YSRCP ticket but lost to the rival TDP candidate.

Rao also had a significant stint in Telugu film industry. After producing Nandamuri Balakrishna’s industry hit film ‘Samarasimha Reddy’, he also produced NTR’s disaster ‘Narasimhudu’. His name is still infamous in film circles for attempting to commit suicide by jumping into Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad when Narasimhudu’s release was stopped in a key area.