The Principal District and Sessions Court in Mysuru has sentenced 11 persons to life imprisonment and fined them ₹32,000 each for the murder of Devendra alias Devu in 2016.
Mr. Devendra, 34, a resident of Paduvarahalli in Mysuru, was hacked to death with weapons by a gang in front of Maramma temple in Paduvarahalli early on May 5, 2016.
The Jayalakshmipuram police registered a case and then City Commissioner of Police B. Dayananda ordered that the charges be taken up under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA) on the recommendation of then Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) H.T. Shekar.
Then Assistant Commissioner of Police (Narasimharaja division) Umesh G. Seth, who was appointed the inquiry officer, submitted a chargesheet against 29 persons, including former corporator C. Mahadesh, his brother C. Manju, and rowdy-sheeter from Bengaluru Nagendra, on November 2, 2016. The court examined 236 witnesses.
Principal District and Sessions judge M.L. Raghunath found Pavan Kumar, Sunil Kumar, C. Rakesh, Karthik H.B., Manju alias Fayaz, Nagendra, Sunil K.L., Vijayakumar, Manikantha, Raghu K.M., and Naveen N. guilty of the murder on Monday. The remaining accused, including Mr. Mahadesh and his brother, have been acquitted.
City Police Commissioner Chandragupta, in a statement, praised the inquiry officer and Special Public Prosecutor Sudeep Bangera, besides then inspector of the Jayalakshmipuram police station and his staff for their contribution.
