Karnataka - Bangalore

Court sets aside dowry acquittal

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday criticised some of the accused under the Dowry Harassment Act and set aside the acquittal of four persons in two cases reported from Bangalore.

While in the first case, the court handed down a five-year sentence to the husband of the deceased and her in-laws in the other it ordered a seven-year imprisonment term to the husband.

In both the cases, the State had appealed against the acquittal by a lower court and urged the High Court to punish the guilty. The prosecutor for the State in the two cases, Satish Girijee, had submitted that the trial court had erred in acquitting the accused and that it had not appreciated the evidence put forward by the prosecution.

In the first case, the 14th Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge, Bangalore, on August 8, 2000, acquitted Jagadish Keserekar of Sampangiramanagar and his parents Krishhnoji Rao and Saraswathi Bai and another person, Sanjeeva Rao, from charges of harassing Jagadish’s wife, Lalitha Bai.

The State appealed against this verdict. A Division Bench comprising Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice N. Ananda reversed the acquittal and sentenced all the four accused to five years’ imprisonment.

In the second case, the trail court had acquitted Govendaraju of Magadi Road after he was booked on charges of dowry harassment. Govindaraju’s wife, Shanti, was allegedly set ablaze when she took Rs. 50 from his pocket without telling him. The same Bench reversed the verdict and sentenced Govindaraju to seven years imprisonment.

The State Government on Thursday filed an affidavit on the master plan drawn up by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for Bangalore.

Justice Rammohan Reddy, who is hearing the petition, regretted that the Government was taking a long time in approving the master plan and adjourned further hearing on the case.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B.S. Patil dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) on the alleged atrocities by the police during last year’s incidents at Sadashivanagar in which several persons were injured and property destroyed.

The Bench said the petitioner could move any other authority, including the human rights panel, and dismissed the petition.

The State Government on Thursday informed the High Court that guidance values of localities in Bangalore had been published.

The court was dealing with public interest litigation (PIL) petition on the Stamps Act.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B.S. Patil dismissed the petition.

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