CBI court finds six policemen guilty of Udaya Kumar's custodial murder
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, July 24: Delivering relief to an aged mother who knocked all the doors to ensure that justice is done to her son whose life was cut short by callous men in uniform, the CBI Special Court on Tuesday found all the six policemen guilty in connection with the custodial murder of Udaya Kumar, a 27-year-old youth, at Fort Police station on September 27, 2005.
K Jithukumar and S V Sreekumar, who took Udaya Kumar and his friend Suresh Kumar to the station from a park in the city, were found guilty of murder while T Ajith Kumar (then S I), E K Sabu (then C I) and T K Haridas (then Assistant Commissioner) have been found guilty of fabricating evidences and hatching conspiracy. The third accused Soman, who was an additional sub-inspector at the time of murder, died during the trial. The quantum of punishment will be announced on Wednesday by CBI special court judge J Nasser. The first two accused were sent to remand while the rest have been asked to appear before the court on Wednesday.
Udaya Kumar and Suresh were whiling away time at Sreekandeshwaram Park when constables Jithukumar and Sreekumar apprehended them after they found `4500 in his pocket. Suspecting that the cash was stolen, the policemen took them to Fort station for interrogation. The duo were subjected to brutal third-degree treatment in a bid to extract confession from them. Udaya Kumar was also subjected to 'Uruttal'- a colloquial term used to mention the torture method where the lower limbs are crushed using a heavy wooden pestle-something that was widely used on naxal sympathisers in Kerala during the Emergency period.
The case that was investigated initially by the State Police before being taken over by the CBI witnessed several setbacks as witnesses, including Suresh and several police officers, turned hostile while there were efforts to fabricate evidence to implicate Udaya Kumar in theft case.
Courtesy: www.newindianexpress.com
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Karnataka High Court upholds governor's sanction to prosecute CM Siddaramaiah in MUDA case
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's plea challenging the Governor's sanction to prosecute him in connection with the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna stated that the complaint required investigation and upheld the Governor’s authority to grant approval for prosecution.
The court also noted that it is the complainants' duty to seek approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Governor has the discretion to take an independent decision.
The Judge said, “The facts narrated in the petition need investigation,” and dismissed the plea.
The interim order from August 19, which had deferred proceedings against the CM in the trial court, was also dissolved. The court refused to stay the operation of this order, with a detailed copy of the judgment expected by 2:30 p.m.
Siddaramaiah’s plea sought to quash Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot’s decision to sanction his prosecution in connection with a multi-crore scam involving MUDA. The CM’s legal team, led by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, argued that the Governor’s sanction was issued without due reasoning and violated statutory mandates, including Article 163 of the Indian Constitution, which requires the Governor to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers.
On the other hand, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Governor's office, defended the sanction, asserting that it was granted after a thorough review and that natural justice principles were not applicable at this stage of the investigation.
The petition pertained to the Governor's August 17 sanction for investigation and prosecution under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
