Karnataka - Bangalore

Nokia engineers say Soni was depressed High court round-up

BANGALORE: Two Nokia engineers, who are absconding after they were accused of harassment in a suicide note by a colleague, have told the court that the victim was depressed and that her performance at work was not up to the mark.

Teja Gudena and Suchin Krishna Murthy made these submissions before the Karnataka High Court when it was hearing their bail petitions.

The two were named by 26-year-old Soni Jagadeesh in her suicide note as the people who had been harassing her. They had moved the High Court after a lower court in Bangalore rejected their plea for bail. The court adjourned further hearing of the case.

Justice Huluvadi G. Ramesh on Monday dismissed a petition for bail by Sreenivasa Shastry and Lokesh, two of the main accused in the Viniv Inc fraud.

Both Shastry and Lokesh were arrested by the Bangalore police after they reportedly cheated hundreds of depositors of their money when the firm they floated Viniv Inc went bust.

Both the accused had sought bail, saying that they had returned the deposits of several people.

When the matter came up on Monday, the Corps of Detectives (CoD), which is investigating the fraud, said 14 charges sheets had been filed against Shastry and that he was yet to repay all the depositors.

It said Shastry had only paid the interest and the principal amount. It said in all 20,605 depositors had invested Rs. 203.31 crore in Viniv Inc of which Rs. 169.28 crore had been repaid to more than 19,000 depositors. In all, 760 depositors in the State and 598 in Bangalore were yet to be paid their dues. The CoD report said Shastry owned movable property worth Rs. 5.64 crore and immovable property worth Rs. 5.31 crore.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran and Justice V.G. Sabhahit on Monday asked the Director of Mines and Geology to take appropriate action as per the law if there was any violating in grant of a mining lease in Karekurchi and Rajathadripura villages in Tumkur district.

The Bench passed the order on a petition by Basavaraj C.S. and six others of Hosabeedhi in Chikanayakanahalli in Tumkur district who had challenged a mining lease for iron ore in the area.

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