RTI activist Vinayaka Baliga murder case: Review petition seeking narco-analysis of Naresh Shenoy
Mangaluru, October 30: As the Supreme Court has denied permission for conducting narco-analysis on Naresh Shenoy, the main accused in RTI activist Vinayaka Baliga murder case, Advocate Ravindra Kamath who is arguing in favour of Baliga family in the Supreme Court, said that he would file a review petition before the court to reconsider the narco-analysis application to know the truth in the case.
“The Supreme Court has taken the application filed by the Baliga family seeking narco-analysis of Naresh Shenoy, the main accused in the case as per the FIR in the Baliga case, for hearing. In 2010, the Supreme Court Full Bench had given a verdict Selvi versus Karnataka State case that conducting narco-analysis test much against to the wish of the accused would be the violation of human rights. In view of that verdict, the Supreme Court Bench has denied permission to conduct narco-analysis test on Naresh Shenoy. But in such cases, how could the truth be uncovered if every accused declined to undergo narco-analysis test? So, he would file a review petition before the SC”, Kamath told Varthabharati.
Why do they fear for narco-analysis test?
“Why the people are hesitating to undergo narco-analysis test if they have not done anything wrong in Vinayaka Baliga murder case? After one stage of investigation, the case is almost in the state of suspension. So, the investigation should be completed. In view of this, they have decided to file a review petition. The Supreme Court has not given permission for narco-analysis test keeping the Selvi versus Karnataka case. But in the Sheena Bora case, the SC had given permission for narco-analysis test. The complete investigation into the Vinayaka Baliga murder case was not done. They have filed an application seeking reinvestigation into the case. But the SC asked why? The SC should be apprised of the need to conduct reinvestigation, Narendra Nayak, who is fighting legally in this case said.
Vinayaka Baliga murder case
Social activist and RTI activist Vinayaka Panduranga Baliga was hacked to death near his house on March 21, 2016. Vinayaka Baliga raised the issue of misappropriation of funds in the Sri Venkataramana Temple, coming under the Kashi Mutt in the city. He had moved the court regarding the issue. After a few days later, he was murdered. Then Mangaluru City Police Commissioner-led police investigating team conducted the investigation into the murder case and identified Namo Brigade leader Naresh Shenoy as the main accused in the case and filed an FIR. But at that time, Naresh who was the active volunteer of Kashi Mutt and Sri Venkataramana Temple was absconding. Later, the police arrested him. But he was granted conditional bail.
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Gujarat: Mevani demands collector’s suspension over ‘anti-Dalit’ remark; IAS officer rejects charge
Mahnisagar, Oct 30: Gujarat Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani on Wednesday demanded the suspension of Mahisagar District Collector Neha Kumari, accusing her of making anti-Dalit comments, a charge the bureaucrat rejected.
Mevani’s demand comes a week after he sought similar action against senior IPS officer Rajkumar Pandian for allegedly misbehaving with him and one of his party colleagues.
Mevani targeted Kumari citing a purported video in which she was heard saying that 90 per cent of cases registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, or the Atrocities Act, are used for blackmailing.
The IAS officer termed the lawmaker’s claims “baseless” and an unsuccessful attempt to get political mileage.
Mevani visited Lunawada, the district headquarters, and demanded that an FIR be registered against the collector under the Atrocities Act and that she was suspended over her “insensitive” remarks and “unparliamentary” words.
When one Vijay Parmar went to meet the collector with his grievance at the SWAGAT programme on October 23, she used “unparliamentary” words against him and also insulted the lawyer community by saying they should be “slapped with slippers”, the Vadgam MLA told reporters.
SWAGAT is an initiative of the Gujarat government for the redressal of people’s grievances.
According to Mevani, the collector’s claim that 90 per cent of cases under the Atrocities Act are misused for blackmailing is an insult to the SC and ST communities and amounts to an offence under the Atrocities Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
“We demand Kumari's suspension and that a case be registered against her,” he said.
The district collector called the MLA’s allegations a “political stunt”.
“The man whom the MLA called poor, innocent young friend (Vijay Parmar) has a police case against him, and his brother has more than one case of rape, kidnapping and assault against him,” Kumari said, adding that they keep visiting the collector’s office with grievances.
At the SWAGAT programme on October 23, he pressured the collector to file a case against police officers. When the collector told him that she did not have the power to file a case and that he should approach the superintendent of police (SP) or the court, he continued to pester her over his issue, she said.
He even threatened the officers and told the collector that she was a Brahmin and he would let her know what “section 4 of the Atrocities Act entailed”, she said.
“You can understand the direction in which this MLA wants to take law and order by keeping a person with a criminal history along with him even when the state government is sensitive about children and women,” she said.
The collector said that the way Vijay Parmar is “blackmailing” government employees in the name of the Atrocities Act is not at all right. “The MLA's support to such people makes it difficult for the real complainants and the real victims to get justice,” she said.
Last week, Congress leaders and Dalit community members gathered outside the office of the Director General of Police in the state capital Gandhinagar demanding the suspension of senior IPS officer Rajkumar Pandian over his alleged misbehaviour with Mevani and his party colleague.
