Mangaluru, Aug 3: More than five years after then president of Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy Rahim Uchil was brutally attacked with lethal weapons by the miscreants, the principal district and sessions court on Thursday sentenced two main accused to four years rigorous imprisonment.
The court which directed the accused to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh each, at the same time let off five other accused for want of evidence, public prosecutor K Pushparaja Adyanthaya said.
Incensed over his affiliation to Bharatiya Janata Party and constant support of perceived derogatory and inflammatory speeches made by local RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, the assailants led by prime accused Muhammad Rafique, 33 of K C Road, Ullal and his lieutenant Abdul Basheer, 31 of Iddya, Surathkal made a bid on Uchil's life at the academy office at Attavar on March 15, 2012. Rahim miraculously survived the bid with severe injuries to his person.
The duo who attacked Rahim with sharp edged weapons with the sole intention of killing him ended up inflicting grievous injuries on his hand, neck and back, left him for dead and fled with accused three - Abdul Saleem and accused four Hamid alias Saddam in two motorcycles from the crime scene. A case of attempt to murder (307 IPC) and causing grievous hurt with deadly weapons (326 IPC) was registered against the accused in Mangaluru South police station.
Then Mangaluru South PS PI K Tilakchandra, presently, ACP (Traffic) who investigated the case, filed the charge sheet, Adyanthaya said. The district and sessions court took in to consideration evidence given by forensic expert Dr Mahabala Shetty who examined Uchil, Geethalakshi Pwho chemically examined the weapons and then Mangaluru taluk magistrate Ravichandra Nayak who carried out the test identification parade of the accused at the district jail.
Noting that then district and sessions court judge Uma M G conducted the initial part of the trial, Adyanthaya said her successor K S Bilagi who continued the trial found the two accused guilty under the above sections. Taking in to account depositions of 19 witnesses, the judge directed the duo to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh each and four years rigorous imprisonment. The accused will have to undergo additional six months imprisonment for failure to pay fine.
The judge also directed them to undergo six months imprisonment and pay a fine of Rs 10000 each for causing grievous hurt and undergoes additional imprisonment of one month in case of default to pay fine. The sentence will run concurrently. Out of the total fine amount, the judge directed that Rs 1.80 lakh be paid to Uchil as compensation and also instructed him to approach the district legal services authority for additional compensation under the victims compensation scheme, Adyanthaya noted.
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