Bangalore: The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the bail application of Joseph Roderiguez, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Karnataka High Court for attacking a woman with acid in Bangalore in 1999.

Joseph Roderiguez had gone on an appeal to the Supreme Court on the life imprisonment sentence and also sought bail.

The single judge Bench of Arijit Pasayat rejected the bail application outright because the offence was of throwing acid and the victim, Haseena, was threatened by the convict during the pendency of trial.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves of the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) appeared on behalf of Haseena. HRLN had given an application for impleading it as a party. Sanjay Hegde appeared on behalf of the State.

In a landmark judgement in August 2006, a Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court, comprising Justice S.R. Bannurmath and Justice Subash B. Adi, sentenced Joseph Roderiguez to imprisonment for life for attacking and grievously injuring a 20-year-old Haseena.

Haseena, who had finished her computer course while studying B.Com I year, was working in Neha Computers, which belonged to Joseph Roderiguez.

Haseena left the job after the firm started making losses and joined another firm in HMT Layout. Joseph Roderiguez began pestering her to leave the new job and join his company.

When she refused, he threw sulphuric acid on her when she was nearing the gate of the new company where she was working.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail