Man, his friend get 6-year jail:Court orders cases against 3 witnesses who turned hostile

The Principal District and Sessions Court has sentenced one person and his friend to six-year imprisonment for attempting to kill a girl and her grandmother. The man was pestering the girl to marry him and on learning that he was already married and had two children, the girl had refused the alliance.

Principal District and Sessions Judge P.G.M. Patil has also imposed a fine of Rs. 15,000 on each. According to the charge-sheet-filed by the Police, 33-year-old Charanraj, a resident of Ramakrishnanagar G-Block and his friend 27-year-old Karthik, a resident of Ramakrishnanagar P&F Block, had attacked the girl and her grandmother in 2012 with lethal weapons.

The girl was studying in second PUC at the TTL College and Charanraj was pestering her to marry him. The girl, however, came to know that Charanraj was already married and had two children and she refused to marry him. Enraged by this, Charanraj, along with his friend Karthik, attacked the girl in front of her house on Dec. 22, 2012, when the girl was returning after writing her exams.

The duo used lethal weapons for the attack and hearing the girl scream for help, her grandmother came to her rescue, also to be attacked. Both suffered grievous injuries and the accused had fled the place after other people in the area rushed to the spot. A case was booked at the Kuvempunagar Police by the then Sub-Inspector Krishnakumar and he had submitted the charge-sheet to the Court.

The Court has now sentenced Charanraj and his friend Karthik to six years imprisonment and has asked the accused to pay a fine of Rs. 15,000 on each. Out of the money, the girl will get Rs. 15,000 and her grandmother will get Rs. 10,000. The Judge has also ordered the Department concerned to pay further compensation for the victims under Crime Victim Compensation provisions.

PUNISHING HOSTILE WITNESSES

Taking seriously the differing statements of some witnesses to the incident, the Court has ordered filing of criminal cases against them. Eye-witnesses Nataraju, Mujeed and Soubhagya, the neighbours of the girl, had told the Police that they had seen Charanraj and Karthik attacking the girl and her grandmother on the day of the crime.

Accordingly their statements were recorded and were filed along with the charge-sheet. However, when the case came up for hearing, Nataraju, Mujeed and Soubhagya denied their statements with an ulterior motive to help the accused.

Noting this, the Judge asked the Police to file criminal cases against them for false witness.

Principal Public Prosecutor H.E. Chinnappa had argued the case.