The Hindu : IPS officer, six others acquitted in murder case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 02, 2002

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IPS officer, six others acquitted in murder case

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI JULY 1. A Division Bench of the Madras High Court today acquitted seven police personnel of Karnataka, including an IPS officer, of all charges in the sensational `advocate Rashid murder case' of 1987.

The Bench, comprising Justice N. Dhinakar and Justice Malai. Subramanian, also upheld the Salem sessions court verdict acquitting the 11 other accused in the case, including the former Home Minister of Karnataka, R.L. Jalappa.

According to the CBI, due to enmity between Mr. Jalappa and one Mr. Sathasivam over getting approval for medical colleges in Karnataka, the Minister had got advocate Rashid kidnapped and murdered since he was a close associate of Mr. Sathasivam.

The deceased was kidnapped from his lodge in Bangalore on August 16, 1987, and his body was recovered at a place between Danishpet and Lokur in Salem district on August 18. In all, 18 persons were arraigned as accused in the case.

The Salem sessions court convicted the then Bangalore (West) Deputy Commissioner, K. Narayanan, and sentenced him to two-year rigorous imprisonment. Among the other convicted police personnel were a Sub-Inspector, an Assistant Sub-Inspector, two head constables and two constables, all attached to the Highgrounds police station in Bangalore. The sentences ranged from two-year RI to life imprisonment.

Accepting the contention of senior counsel, V. Gopinath, on infirmities in the prosecution case, the Bench held that there was no connecting link between the murder and the accused.

It also pointed out that none of the witnesses could identify the accused policemen and almost all the witnesses, including the two approvers, turned hostile.

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