ORDER :

1. This Criminal Petition is filed under Sections 437 and 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (for short ‘Cr.P.C.’) seeking bail, by the petitioner/sole accused in Cr. No. 195 of 2022 of Sarpavaram Police Station, Kakinada, initially registered under Section 174 CrPC, later altered to the offence punishable under Sections 302, 201 read with 34 of the Indian Penal Code (for short ‘IPC’) and Sections 3(1)(r)(s) and Section 3(2)(v) of SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 as amended by Act 1 of 2016 (for short ‘the Act’).

2. The case of the prosecution, in brief, is that, the deceased worked as a driver of the accused for about six (06) years and at the time of his marriage, the deceased borrowed an amount of Rs. 50,000/- from the accused and repaid Rs. 30,000/- leaving a balance amount of Rs. 20,000/- and about three months back the deceased discontinued to work at the accused. Since then, the accused was pressurizing the deceased for repayment of balance amount and on the night of 19.05.2022, the accused contacted the father of the deceased over phone and warned the deceased severely to see his end, if the amount is not paid. Later, when the deceased was consumi