The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Court orders seizure of documents

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Saturday, Jun 02, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Court orders seizure of documents

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: In what can be a major embarrassment to the State Government, the Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the seizure of all materials, including case diaries, telephone and wireless registers, records and duty muster of the Kodihalli police station in Bangalore rural district relating to the period when a Bahujana Samaja Party (BSP) worker was murdered.

Petition

The court passed the order on a petition by a woman in Kodihalli village in Kanakapura taluk seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the murder of her husband, a BSP worker, in which she alleged that the former Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and his brother D.K. Suresh were involved.

Roopli Bai, who filed the petition in 2004, said her husband Nagaraja Nayak was murdered on September 27, 2003. She alleged that her husband had earlier said Mr. Shivakumar and Mr. Suresh were trying to get him killed.

After her husband's murder she had gone to the Kodihalli police to register a complaint. Although she had named several persons in her complaint, the police had not mentioned them in the FIR and instead substituted names of their choice. She was coerced to sign it, she said. She urged the court to direct the State to order a CBI probe into the murder.

The State Public Prosecutor (SPP) opposed the petitioner's plea for a CBI probe saying that if she or any others had additional materials they could place it before the trial court.

CBI trial

Moreover, trial in the case had commenced and there was no question of handing over the investigation to the CBI. He claimed that some of the documents produced by the petitioner were fabricated.

Justice Jawad Rahim, who is hearing the case, asked the SPP why the State had not filed its counter denying the allegations. Moreover, the State had not filed a report on the incident as sought by the court.

He said although the allegations were serious, the State had chosen to ignore them. He directed the Superintendent of Police, Bangalore Rural district, to forthwith seize all materials connected with the case and submit them directly before the court on June 8.

Report

The SP was directed to submit a detailed report regarding the receipt of representations made by Roopli Bai to the police on the murder. .

The court adjourned hearing of the case to June 8.

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