The Hindu : Karnataka News : Gownpalli murder case: SPP’s name deleted

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Wednesday, Mar 12, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Gownpalli murder case: SPP’s name deleted

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the Court Registry to delete the name of advocate H.M. Thimmarayappa as the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) in the sensational Gownpalli murder case in which Ramesh Kumar, former Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and his brother are among the accused.

Mr. Kumar, his brother K.R. Krishnamurthy, B.L. Ramaswamy Shetty and K.S. Redappa, had challenged the appointment of Mr. Thimmarayappa as the SPP in the murder case.

According to Mr. Kumar and other petitioners, T.B. Ramakrishna Reddy had lodged a complaint on March 31, 2003, before the Gownpalli police in Kolar district that Shamashankar Reddy and his associate, Kadirapa, both belonging to Scheduled Castes, were murdered near a forest off Thimmalavarapalli Road in Srinivasapura taluk, Kolar district.

The Gownpalli police had registered a case and arrested several persons. During earlier proceedings, the State had contended that Shamashankar Reddy belonged to the Congress, and on the eve of an election to the milk producers’ cooperative society, he was fatally assaulted.

The case was subsequently handed over to the Corps of Detectives (CoD). The petitioners alleged that the State had deliberately framed Mr. Kumar, and included him as one of the accused.

The State had decided to appoint a special public prosecutor to argue its case against Mr. Kumar and others. The case was earlier being argued by the State Public Prosecutor.

Justice K. Bhatkavatsala directed the Registry to delete Mr. Thimmarayappa’s name and show the name of the State Public Prosecutor as the respondent.

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