Udupi: 26-year-old man awarded life imprisonment for sexually abusing minor girl he met on Instagram
Udupi: The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), Fast Track Court in Udupi sentenced a youngster to life imprisonment for sexually abusing a minor girl about three years ago in Karkala.
The court under Udupi’s District Additional and Sessions Court pronounced the judgment on February 7, Tuesday.
According to the reports, the accused, Radhakrishna (26) of Venur in Belthangady taluk had befriended the victim girl on the popular social media platform Instagram before sexually harassing her.
A case in this regard was registered three years ago at Karkala Rural Police Station and court proceedings were underway.
According to the police investigation, Radhakrishna entered the house of the minor girl when she was alone at home and induced the girl with his prate and sexually abused her later. The case was also lodged against the accused under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Judge Srinivasa Suvarna, who examined 18 witnesses, opined that the allegations against the accused are valid and sentenced him to life imprisonment along with an Rs. 10,000 fine. Y.T. Raghavendra, the Public Prosecutor, argued for the prosecution.
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K’taka HC judge whose controversial remarks triggered controversy expresses regret before open court
Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.
Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.
On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.
Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”
Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”
Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.
In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.
The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.
Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.
