Primary witness in rape case of Mutt pontiff passes away in Shivamogga
Shivamogga: A 31-year-old man, who is said to have been the primary witness on behalf of the prosecution in a case of sexual assault by the pontiff of a Mutt, has died prematurely.
The deceased witness, Abhiram Hegde, was a native of Siddapur taluk of Uttara Kannada.
He worked at a Mutt since childhood, as a close associate of the pontiff. He had declared in court on behalf of the government that he was aware of the pontiff’s sexual activities at the Mutt.
Hegde is learned to have earlier attempted to commit suicide in a state of depression following his experiences at the Mutt.
He also turned alcoholic and was being treated at a hospital in Sagar to overcome the problem. He passed away as he failed to respond to the treatment.
The rape case against the pontiff was filed in 2009 and the CBI had named Hegde as primary witness in the charge sheet. Hegde’s statements in court had given rise to a furore when published by the media.
Hegde is survived by his mother and four elder sisters; his father passed away two years ago.
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22 children from Meghalaya studying in illegal private school in Karnataka return home
Shillong, Apr 23 (PTI): Twenty-two children from Meghalaya studying in an illegal private boarding school in Karnataka were handed over to their parents here on Wednesday, an official said.
The children were studying in the illegal boarding school in Karnataka. On March 16 in a food poisoning incident in the boarding school, two children died and the other children were shifted to a government children's home, the official said.
The parents of the children moved court for the return of their children. The court directed that the children be reunited with their parents in Meghalaya.
The children from Meghalaya returned to their home state accompanied by the Child Welfare Officer of Karnataka. The Karnataka Child Welfare Officer handed over the children to their Meghalaya counterpart who after verifying the parent's identities handed them over to their parents.
Meghalaya Social Welfare minister Paul Lyngodh was present in the ceremony where the children were handed over to their parents.
Of the 22 children, four were from East Khasi Hills district, seven from West Jaintia Hills district, eight from East Jaintia Hills district and three from West Khasi Hills district, the official said.
