Date:01/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/01/stories/2006090121990400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Gownpalli murder case: bail plea rejected

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday rejected a bail application by one of the accused in the Gownpalli murder case in which a former Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly is also an accused. The court directed the accused to surrender.

The petitioner, Ananda, had filed an application seeking grant of anticipatory bail in the event of his arrest in the case.

Opposing the bail plea, special public prosecutor S. Dore Raju said Ramakrishna Reddy had lodged a police complaint on March 31, 2003 stating that he was informed that Shamashankar Reddy was murdered near a forest off Thimmalavarapalli Road. Another person, Kadirappa, a Scheduled Caste, was also found dead nearby.

The police registered a case and arrested several persons.The prosecution said 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 handed over to the Corps of Detectives (CoD) which filed a charge sheet against 15 persons. Ananda is the 15th accused in the case.

Mr. Dore Raju contended that Ananda was not entitled to bail as he had never voluntarily presented before the court whenever the case had come up.