Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has quashed a murder case that took place in Udupi 44 years ago and ordered release of the accused.
The accused, Sitarama Bhat, had filed a petition in the high court challenging the action of the Udupi Police and the trial court in the case that took place 44 years ago. The bench headed by Justice M Nagaprasanna heard the petition and ordered the closure of the case.
The key eyewitnesses in this 44-year-old case are not available now while the two co-accused were earlier acquitted as the eyewitnesses failed to identify them. In order to save the court's valuable time and judicial resources, it is appropriate to quash this case, which is one of the oldest cases in the criminal justice process of the state, the bench stated.
On June 8, 1979, Sitarama Bhat and Kitta alias Krishnappa, were accused of attacking Narayana Nair and K Rama with a knife in connection with a land dispute related to the Adamaru Mutt in Udupi. K Rama died in the incident and a case was registered in this regard at the Udupi police station.
Along with Sitarama Bhat and Kitta, Sanjeeva Handa, Basava Handa and Chandrashekhar Bhat were also accused in this case. In the initial trial, the court had found Sitaram Bhat and Kitta guilty but Kitta was acquitted on appeal. Co-accused, Sanjeeva Handa and Basava Handa, were also acquitted later.
However, recently, the Udupi Police launched an investigation on charges that Chandrashekhar Bhat absconded during the probe. Meanwhile, the District and Sessions Judge had rejected the anticipatory bail filed by Chandrashekhar Bhat after which, he had approached the High Court challenging the order.
During the hearing, Chandrashekhar Bhat's lawyer told the bench that his client has been living in Bengaluru from 1979 to 2022. Till now, no summons or warrant has been issued to him to appear for the hearing in the case.
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