Dharwad: The Dharwad bench of Karnataka High Court has granted bail to 97 accused who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the case of discrimination and caste violence targeting Dalits in Marakumbi village of Gangavati taluk of Koppal district.
A division bench headed by Justices Srinivas Harish Kumar and TG Shivashankar Gowda has allowed 10 criminal appeals filed separately on behalf of the other accused, including Pampavathy, who is the fourth accused in the case. Also, bail was granted to 97 accused.
In the case, except A1 accused Manjunath, the rest have been granted bail. In addition, all applicants have to furnish a personal bond worth Rs one lakh and one security. The amount of fine imposed by the trial Court shall be paid. The accused who have secured bail cannot go outside the Koppal district without prior permission and must attend the hearing conducted by the authorities and cooperate in the investigation. They also cannot destroy evidence cannot, the bench said.
What was Koppal district court Verdict: 98 persons were sentenced to life imprisonment, while three others, who belonged to the ST community, were sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 fine. The sentenced life convicts, who have also been fined between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 each, are in Ballari Central Jail.
Judge Chandrasekhar C convicted 101 people in the case, of whom three received lighter sentences because the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, couldn't be invoked against someone belonging to either community. The accused approached the Karnataka High Court questioning this Verdict.
Case In Detail: On August 27, 2014, the primary accused Manjunath went to a movie in Gangavathi along with his friends. Suddenly they engaged in a brawl there with “unidentified” persons. Manjunath and his friends provoked and convinced members of the upper caste by claiming that it was residents of the SC colony in the village who abused them.
As per one of the victims, Bheemesh's complaint, a mob belonging to the upper caste arrived at their colony at around 4 am with bricks, stones and sticks and started hurling cattiest slurs against the residents of the colony. Then they attacked the huts and houses of the residents there.
