Plea for CBI probe in Kalburgi murder: SC wants to hear matter 'in detail'
New Delhi, Jan 25: With a plea seeking a CBI probe into the murder of rationalist M M Kalburgi, the Supreme Court on Friday termed it a "very serious case" and said that it would hear the matter in detail on February 26.
Noted scholar Kalburgi, 77, was killed at Dharwad in 2015.
A bench of justices R F Nariman and Vineet Saran said that no parties will be given any adjournment.
"This is a very serious case. We would like to hear the matter in detail. Meanwhile pleadings to be completed. List the matter on February 26," the bench said.
The bench asked the petitioner's counsel to file their counter to the affidavit submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation and other respondents.
Advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for the Karnataka government, said that they have filed their reply as directed by the court in its earlier order.
On December 11, last year, the apex court had favoured a CBI probe into the murders of Kalburgi, social activist Govind Pansare and journalist Gauri Lankesh if there appeared a "common thread" in these incidents.
The murders of all three activists occurred over the last five years.
The top court had asked the CBI to inform it by January first week whether it would like to investigate these three murder cases as it is already probing the murder of social activist Narendra Dabholkar.
The CBI had filed its response in a sealed cover.
Karnataka police in its status report had told the top court that there appears to be an "intimate connection" between the murders of Kalburgi in 2015 and Gauri Lankesh in 2017.
The court had observed that one probe agency should investigate all the four cases, if prima facie it appears that there is a "common thread" in the murders.
The Karnataka government had said that the Kalburgi case has some intimate connections with the Gauri Lankesh murder case and key conspirators were identified and certain recoveries have also been made.
Activist Govind Pansare was also killed in 2015. Lankesh was shot dead on September 5, 2017 in Bengaluru, whereas rationalist Narendra Dabholkar whose case was already probed by CBI was assassinated on August 20, 2013.
The top court had on November 26 pulled up the Karnataka government for "doing nothing and just fooling around" in the investigation and had indicated that it may transfer the case to the Bombay High Court.
The apex court had on January 10 sought the response of probe agencies NIA and CBI and the two state governments on the allegation of Uma Devi that no substantial investigation has been carried out so far in the murder case.
Kalburgi's wife, in her petition, had alleged that there was a common link between the murder of her husband and that of activists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare.
Kalburgi, former vice chancellor of Hampi University and a well-known epigraphist, was shot dead in broad daylight at his residence in Kalyan Nagar in Dharwad, Karnataka, on August 30, 2015.
Born in 1938, he was a Sahitya Akademi award-winning writer of old Kannada literature.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
UP: Fake IAS officer marries woman, flees with Rs 15 lakh dowry
Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): A newly married man fled with the Rs 15 lakh given to him as dowry by the bride's family, and it came to light later that he was an alleged serial scammer, police said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Pritam Kumar Nishad from Etawah, allegedly posed as an IAS officer to deceive the woman into marrying him. He is currently absconding with his sister, and a case has been filed against him for cheating, dowry harassment, and forgery, officials said.
According to the police, the woman's family claimed that they spent nearly Rs 30 lakh for the wedding that was solemnised on March 11.
The match was arranged through a matrimonial group, where the accused introduced himself as an IAS officer, sharing purported interview clips, office visuals, and photographs with politicians to gain the family's trust.
Despite initially claiming he would marry without dowry, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh shortly before the engagement. The bride's family paid Rs 10 lakh in cash during the engagement and the remaining Rs 5 lakh on the wedding day, the police said.
The fraud came to light on Saturday after the woman reached Etawah, and a wedding attendee informed the family that the accused was not a civil servant. When her relatives visited the address provided by him, they found her in a small rented room, while the accused and his sister had fled, the police added.
The woman has also alleged that the accused planned to take her to Goa and sell her, and accused him of inappropriate behaviour.
The police suspect that the accused may have been involved in multiple such marriages in the past. Based on a complaint lodged at the cantonment police station, an FIR was registered on Saturday evening.
Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Kaustubh said efforts are underway to arrest the accused.
_vb_13.jpeg)
