BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed a trial court in Srinivasapura in Kolar district to complete by six months the trial in a murder case involving the former Speaker of the Assembly and Congress MLA K.R. Ramesh Kumar.

The court direction came after the State Public Prosecutor (SPP) filed an application seeking extension of time.

When the matter came up, the prosecution submitted that the High Court had directed expeditious completion of the trial in the Gownpalli murder case in which Mr. Ramesh Kumar and his brother Krishna Murthy were the accused.

The prosecutor submitted that the trial in the Srinivasapura court could not go on as a Division Bench of the High Court was hearing petitions challenging the appointment on July 22, 2006 of H.M. Thimmarayappa as special public prosecutor to argue the case.

He said Mr. Thimmarayappa's appointment was challenged by Mr. Ramesh Kumar, K.R. Krishnamurthy and B.L. Ramaswamy Setty.

According to the records, Ramakrishna Reddy had complained on March 31, 2003 before the Gownapalli police in Kolar district that Shamashankar Reddy was murdered near a forest off Thimmalavarapalli Road.

Another person, Kadirappa, a Scheduled Caste (SC), was found dead nearby. The police had registered a case and arrested several persons.

The State had contended that Shamashankar Reddy was fatally assaulted on the eve of an election to the milk producers' cooperative society.The case was handed over to the Corps of Detectives (CoD), which filed a charge sheet against 15 persons in the court of the Junior Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Srinivasapura.

The State had alleged that Mr. Ramesh Kumar was an accused in the murder. The court had some time ago granted bail to Mr. Ramesh Kumar in the case.

The State had decided to appoint a special public prosecutor to argue its case against Mr. Ramesh Kumar and others in the Gownpalli case.

The case was earlier being argued by the State Public Prosecutor (SPP).

The SPP contended that it was only a few days ago that a Division Bench had stayed the appointment of Mr. Thimmarayappa as the Special Public Prosecutor.

He said the State would now have to appoint another prosecutor to handle the case and, therefore, more time was needed to complete the trial.

Justice A.C. Kabbin, who is hearing the matter, directed the trial court to complete the trial within six month's time.

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