Court finds jailed underworld don guilty in BJP leader's murder case
Darpan News Desk IANS, 30 Mar, 2022 11:32 AM
Bengaluru, March 30 (IANS) The Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA) Special Court on Wednesday found jailed underworld Don Bannanje Raja, and 8 others guilty in connection with the death of BJP leader and industrialist R.N. Nayak who was killed in a shootout in December 2013, officials said.
The shootout had taken place on December 21, 2013, in Ankola of Uttara Kannada district. It was the first case to registered under KCOCA Act in the state.
Rajendra Shetty a.k.a Bannanje Raja is involved in 44 serious criminal offences including murder, extortion and kidnapping. Authorities had issued an Interpol red corner notice against Bannanje Raja, and he was nabbed in Casablanca in Morocco. Later, he was extradited to Karnataka from there.
Raja, who was named as the 9th accused in the case, was named in several cases in coastal districts of Karnataka, Bengaluru and Maharashtra.
Jagadish Patel from Uttar Pradesh, Abhi Bhandagara from Bengaluru, Ganesh Bhajanthri from Udupi, K.M. Ismail from Kerala, Mahesh Achangi from Hassan, M.B. Santhosh from Kerala, Jagadish Chandraraj from Bengaluru, and Ankit Kumar Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh have also been pronounced guilty in the case.
Special Court judge C.M. Joshi has reserved the order for announcing the quantum of punishment on April 4.
Besides, the court has acquitted some of the accused -- Rabdin Pichai, Mohammad Shabandri and Anand Ramesh Nayak, from the case.
Special Public Prosecutor S.B. Puranik Math and Additional Public Prosecutor Shivaprasad Alva have argued against the accused, representing the prosecution.
Alva has stated that through the judgment the court has sent a good message to the society. "The police and prosecution have successfully persuaded the legal action against anti-social elements."
When asked if he faced any threats since the case involved gangster Bannanje Raja, he said there is no room for it as he has to carry out the responsibilities given by the government.
"This judgment shows that no one is above the law. The law takes its own course. If police and prosecution join hands and pursue the case unitedly, legal action against any criminal element is ensured," he said.
Raja had made an extortion call and demanded protection money from the deceased Nayak. When he refused to pay the money, Raja planned the shootout.
He had called up media houses and claimed that he had got the murder carried out, embarrassing the state and the central investigation agencies.
Various judges have heard the case for over seven years. More than 210 witnesses have recorded their statements. Prosecutors have presented 1,000 pages of documentary proof.
Sidhu was charged under section 323 of the Indian Penal Code for voluntary causing hurt, however he was let off with just fine. The top court had observed that the incident was more than 30 years old, and there was no past hostility between accused and victim. The court also noted that no weapon was used by the accused.
The accused has been identified as Noori Ibrahim, a resident of Vellore, Tamil Nadu. Her agent, Ibraheem Keethadth, a resident of Bengaluru, has also been arrested.
Sisodia concluded with "dissatisfaction" over unchanged Income Tax slab. "Today, this country needed some relief in the income tax slabs. This would have helped our middle class regain purchasing power and enter the markets. This would have naturally helped the economy grow."
Observing the 3rd World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day as a key moment to highlight the global community's commitment to ending these, India joined close to 40 other nations to illuminate iconic landmarks to raise awareness. This year, India lit up the New Delhi Railway Station in purple and orange hues to mark the occasion.
The accused have been identified as Nitin Pratap alias Atul and Sandeep Kumar -- residents of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh. Police said the accused used a Suzuki Gixxer motorcycle for the last two months to commit the crime in Gurugram and Rajasthan, and they used to travel from Tapukara in Rajasthan once a week to snatch mobile phones.
The deceased, identified as Megha Kayal, 40, was working as a doctor in London Milton Keynes University Hospital. Prior to this, she was a doctor at Apollo hospital, Sarita Vihar, Delhi.
