Muthalik, 24 others acquitted in 2009 Mangaluru pub attack case for want of evidence

coastaldigest.com news network
March 12, 2018

Mangaluru, Mar 12: In what can be termed as a setback for the victims of 2009 Mangaluru pub attack, which had tarnished the image of the coastal city internally, a local court has acquitted 25 of the 30 accused in the case due to lack of evidence.

The activists of Sri Ram Sena celebrated victory on Monday in the city after the Third JMFC Court Judge Manjunath pronounced the much awaited verdict. “I am happy. The truth has prevailed,” responded Pramod Muthalik, the chief of Sri Ram Sena, who was also acquitted from the case.

Around 30 accused had faced trail in the case. While two of the remaining five accused are dead, trial is pending against the other three who have left the country. Advocates Asha Nayak and Vinod had argued on their behalf. 27 persons had testified as witnesses in the case.

On 24 January 2009, around three dozens of miscreants, said to be activists of Sri Ram Sena barged into the pub ‘Amnesia – The Lounge’ in the heart of the city and beat up a group of young women and men, claiming the women were violating traditional Indian values.

Two of the women were hospitalised. The video of the incident has become one of the most watched clips on YouTube, though how the TV crew happened to be ready at the 'unannounced' attack is not known.

Comments

samir
 - 
Tuesday, 13 Mar 2018

Andhi nagri kana raja ... Respect to the judge ! 7 topo kee salami diya jaye 

rashiq
 - 
Monday, 12 Mar 2018

Dear Suresh

 

Its not only deaf & dumb, its also Blind.

Suresh Kalladka
 - 
Monday, 12 Mar 2018

Judiciary acting like deaf and dumb..! How they want proof?

Mohan
 - 
Monday, 12 Mar 2018

Court giving permission indirectly to do such goondaism more

Hari
 - 
Monday, 12 Mar 2018

Strange.. Total injustice

Kumar
 - 
Monday, 12 Mar 2018

This verdict made more shame to us than the incident..

Sonakshi
 - 
Monday, 12 Mar 2018

What the F… Never expected this. Judge saab plz save the respect of judiciary.

Ganesh
 - 
Monday, 12 Mar 2018

WTF.. Many images and videos are there.. still want evidences..!

Canute D’Souza
 - 
Monday, 12 Mar 2018

What a judgement!! That means the incident never took place, according to the judge!!

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News Network
January 5,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 5: Former Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara has said the Karnataka Congress has unanimously decided to appeal to the party high command regarding the appointment of KPCC President and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the state.

Speaking to reporters, the Congress leader said, "We have decided to gather the opinion of senior leaders regarding the selection of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and opposition leaders. We will appeal to the high command regarding the same. The party will decide its next course of action."

He made these remarks after a meeting of senior party leaders was held at Parameshwara's residence here on Saturday.

Adding that the Congress leaders discussed the current political scenario in the state, Parameshwara said: "We held a meeting to reiterate that we are not confused and we all are together."

"There has been no personal discussion on who should be the president," he said.

Earlier, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had tendered resignation from their respective posts owning moral responsibility for the party's poor performance in the recent by-polls.

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News Network
June 5,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 5: An FIR has been filed against former journalist and human rights activist Aakar Anil Patel in Bengaluru here over his comments on social media under charges pertaining to provocation with intent to cause riots.

The FIR was registered under Section 117 (abetting commission of an offence by the public or by more than ten persons), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), and 505-1-B (intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the JC Nagar police station.

According to the FIR filed on June 2, Patel had tweeted that protests like the ones in the US over George Floyd's death are needed in India by the marginalised communities.

Patel, former chief of Amnesty International India, had on May 31 posted from his Twitter account, which is not verified.

On May 25, Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following which protests against police brutality and racism erupted in various cities in the United States. The protests were later replaced by incidents of violence across the country.

India also has witnessed several cases of mob lynchings and custodial deaths in recent years. In most cases victims belong to down trodden communities such as Muslims and Dalits.

Responding to the development, Amnesty International India has said that FIR against Patel is another example of how the right to dissent is being "increasingly" criminalised.

"The Bengaluru police must stop abusing its authority and put an end to the intimidation and harassment of Aakar Patel for exercising his constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression. People of this country have the right to agree or disagree with those in power, and to express these opinions in peaceful protests - without fear or unlawful interference," Amnesty International India Executive Director Avinash Kumar said.

He said that peacefully protesting against the government is not a crime and added that not agreeing with the policies of those in power does not make you a traitor.

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coastaldigest.com news network
February 14,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 14: In a major embarrassment to the police, the Karnataka High Court has termed as illegal the prohibitory orders imposed under Section 144 of CrPC by the City Police Commissioner in December 2019 in the light of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Bengaluru.

The orders were passed “without application of mind” and without following due procedures, the court noted. Giving reasons for upholding the arguments of the petitioners that there was no application of mind by the Police Commissioner (Bhaskar Rao) before imposing restrictions, a division bench of the High Court said he had not recorded the reasons, except reproducing the contents of letters addressed to him by the Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs). 

The state government had contended that prohibitory orders were passed based on reports submitted by the DCPs who expressed apprehension about anti-social elements creating law and order problems and damaging public property by taking advantage of the anti-CAA protests.  

The High Court bench said the Police Commissioner should have conducted inquiry as stated by the Supreme Court to check the reasons cited by the DCPs who submitted identical reports. Except for this, there were no facts laid out by the Police Commissioner, the court said.

“There is complete absence of reasons. If the order indicated that the Police Commissioner was satisfied by the apprehension of DCPs, it would have been another matter,” it said.  

“The apex court has held that it must record the reasons for imposition of restrictions and there has to be a formation of opinion by the district magistrate. Only then can  the extraordinary powers conferred on the district magistrate can be exercised. This procedure was not followed. Hence, exercise of power under Section 144 by the commissioner, as district magistrate, was not at all legal”, the bench said. 

“We hold that the order dated December 18, 2019 is illegal and cannot stand judicial scrutiny in terms of the apex court’s orders in the Ramlila Maidan case and Anuradha Bhasin case,” the HC bench said while upholding the arguments of Prof Ravivarma Kumar, who appeared for some of the petitioners.   

Partly allowing a batch of public interest petitions questioning the imposition of prohibitory orders and cancelling the permission granted for protesters in the city, the bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Hemant Chandangoudar observed that, unfortunately, in the present case, there was no indication of application of mind in passing prohibitory orders.

The bench said the observation was confined to this order only and it cannot be applicable in general. If there is a similar situation (necessitating imposition of restrictions), the state is not helpless, the court said.

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