Karnataka HC rejects gangster Ravi Pujari's bail plea
Bengaluru, Jul 28: A single judge bench of the High Court of Karnataka headed by Justice Srinivas Harish Kumar has dismissed the bail plea filed by gangster Ravi Pujari alias Raviprakash in a case registered at a police station here.
Though the bail plea was rejected, the HC observed that the government prosecutor will be held responsible for the delay in the trial.
The government prosecutor has failed to cross-examine the witnesses even though the trial court framed the charges long ago. Witnesses were to be called and brought before the court by the government prosecutor, the judge observed on Thursday.
The trial court shall complete the trial within one year. If the trial is not completed within a year, the government prosecutor will be responsible, the judge said.
The advocate for Pujari argued before the court that "Despite the order of the High Court, the trial has not started. Even after two and a half years since the court order, not a single witness has been examined. If the trial is delayed in this regard, the public will lose faith in the judiciary.".
The government advocate pointed out that 107 cases were pending against Pujari in Karnataka, 20 in Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat and Rajasthan. As the accused was being taken to different states for investigation, there is a delay in the trial of the current case.
In the current case, it is alleged that on the instructions of Ravi Pujari, 17 of his henchmen tried to kill relator KS Samiullah and his friends of Shabnam Developers between January and February 15, 2007 with the intention of instilling fear in the real estate industry and extorting money from realtors.
A case was registered against the accused under IPC Sections 302, 307 and Arms Act Sections 3 and 25. The case was split as the five accused including Ravi Pujari were absconding. The rest of the accused in the case were acquitted. Pujari had approached the HC seeking bail in this case.
Ravi Pujari was extradited from Senegal and brought to India on 21 February, 2020 in pursuance of the order passed by the I Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Bengaluru in the case filed by the Tilak Nagar police station. He has been in custody ever since and faces multiple cases in several states across India.
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“Mistake owing to communication gap,” MLA Yatnal clarifies over alleged derogatory speech on Prophet
Vijayapura: Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has denied making any derogatory statement about Prophet Muhammad, clarifying that there was a misstatement during his speech at a Ram Navami event in Hubballi. "I did not speak about Prophet Muhammad. I meant to refer to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, but there was a mistake in the speed of speech," he said addressing reporters on Monday.
He alleged that members of the Congress, frustrated by their hooliganism and failure to collect their hafta (extortion) in Vijayapura are using the Prophet as an excuse to speak against me. “There is no culture of denigrating another religion in Hinduism. Our gurus and elders have not taught us that,” he said.
Responding to another controversy involving an audio clip in which he was allegedly threatened, Yatnal said the police are investigating the matter and that those behind it will soon be exposed. “No one can finish me. The Hindus of Karnataka are with me. If someone tries to finish me, the whole state will rise in protest,” he warned.
