Mangaluru court sentences man to life for 2022 murder
Mangaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): A court in Mangaluru on Thursday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the murder of a 47-year-old man in Dakshina Kannada district in 2022.
The II Additional District and Sessions Court Judge, Jagadish V N, convicted the accused, Murugan, under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10,000.
According to the police, the case relates to the murder of Harish Salyan, a resident of Ullanje in Mangaluru city.
The incident occurred on March 19, 2022, near a tourist car parking area at Mulki Pete in Bappanadu village of Mulki town in Dakshina Kannada district.
Investigations revealed that the accused attacked Salyan with a red laterite stone embedded in cement concrete, repeatedly striking his face and killing him on the spot.
Police said the murder was allegedly committed due to financial enmity between the accused and the victim.
Following the incident, a case was registered at the Mulki police station, and the matter was later taken up for trial in the Sessions Court.
The investigation in the case was carried out by Police Inspector Kusumadhar, who filed the charge sheet before the court. Assistant Sub-Inspector Sanjeev assisted in the investigation.
During the trial, the prosecution was represented by Public Prosecutor Jyothi Pramod Nayak, who argued the case on behalf of the state.
Based on the evidence and arguments presented, the court pronounced the verdict convicting the accused and awarding life imprisonment.
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Kerala govt opposes Antony Raju plea in HC to suspend conviction
Kochi (Kerala) (PTI): The state government on Thursday filed a statement in the Kerala High Court opposing the plea of former state Transport Minister Antony Raju to suspend his conviction in an evidence-tampering case, saying that granting the relief "would undermine the integrity of the electoral process."
The government said he was seeking the relief only to contest the upcoming assembly polls.
Raju, a leader of the Janadhipathya Kerala Congress—a constituent of the CPI(M)-led LDF in Kerala—moved the High Court after the Thiruvananthapuram District and Sessions Court declined to suspend his conviction.
Opposing his plea, the state government said Raju "has failed to demonstrate any grave injustice or irreparable damage that would occur if the conviction is allowed to operate."
It noted that his tenure as a legislator was almost over when he was convicted and sentenced to three years' imprisonment, and that the assembly polls were "already at the doorstep."
"Furthermore, the petitioner (Raju) committed these crimes in his capacity as an advocate, long before becoming a representative of the people, which aggravates the nature of the misconduct. Granting a stay would undermine the integrity of the electoral process," the government said in its statement.
It further added that Raju's intention or desire to contest in the upcoming election "cannot be treated as an exceptional circumstance warranting suspension of conviction."
"Contesting an election is only a political choice, and the disqualification arising from a conviction is a statutory consequence under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which cannot be circumvented by invoking the discretionary jurisdiction of this court. Hence, the petition for suspension of conviction deserves to be dismissed," the government said.
Raju was sentenced to three years' simple imprisonment by the Judicial First Class Magistrate-I Court, Nedumangad, in a case related to tampering with evidence while appearing as a lawyer for an Australian national arrested in a drug case in 1990.
Following his conviction, the Kerala Legislative Assembly Secretariat issued a notification confirming his disqualification.
In his plea to the High Court, Raju said the application for suspension of conviction was filed because, as a sitting member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, he stood disqualified from holding office solely due to the conviction.
According to him, unlike a sentence of imprisonment, the disqualification under Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act is self-operating and instantaneous, leaving no scope for restitution unless the conviction itself is suspended.
"The petitioner's right to contest the upcoming general election to the state legislative assembly is put in peril due to the conviction imposed on him via the judgment impugned in the criminal appeal, which is indefensible both on facts and law," the petition said.
He also contended that the conviction and sentence passed by the magistrate court were against the law, facts, and evidence, and alleged that the court had committed grave errors in the appreciation of evidence.
"The sentence passed by the court below is excessive and has not taken into consideration the delay of 35 years. The sentence was passed only to disqualify the petitioner under the Representation of the People Act," the petition said.
The High Court is likely to hear the matter on March 6.
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