Nearly five weeks after cow vigilante Puneeth Kerehalli was arrested by the city police under the Goonda Act, the Home Department has revoked the case, following a report by the State advisory board that there was a “lack of sufficient grounds“ to book him under the law and asked him to be released from custody.
Puneeth Kerehalli who was arrested by the city police on August 11 had approached the High Court of Karnataka questioning his arrest.
Based on his appeal, the board examined the case and concluded that there were no sufficient grounds to arrest him under the Goonda Act and submitted a report to the government, which directed the police officials to release him with immediate affect on Saturday.
Puneeth Kerehalli, heading Rastra Rakshna Pade, a self-styled cow vigilante group, hails from Hassan and presently lives in J.P. Nagar. He has 10 criminal cases pending against him between 2013 and 2023.
He was arrested by the Sathanur police for killing a cattle transporter Idris Pasha, hailing from Mandya for alleged cattle smuggling during the poll season in April, earlier this year.
The Sathanur police had arrested him from Rajasthan where he was hiding. He was later released on bail in the case. However, even after coming out on bail, he continued posting communally provocative content on his social media handles, posing a threat to law and order, the city police reported, based on which City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda ordered his arrest under the Goonda Act.
Reacting to the advisory board decision, Mr. Dayananda, said the city police would seek legal opinion over going on an appeal against the decision, soon.
