V.S. Dharwadkar, First Additional District and Session Judge, awarded life imprisonment to 24 persons and slapped a fine of Rs. 50,000 on each of them after convicting them in a double murder case.
The Wednesday’s judgement comes after nine years of the commission of the crime. The double murder was committed on November 9, 2007, at Kalkutaginahal village in Ballari taluk.Brothers Ramanagouda and Sanna Mallanagouda were brutally hacked to death by Pompapati and 25 others at the former’s residence using lethal weapons. Later, the group attacked Nagaraja Gouda, victims’ cousin, at his residence had hacked him to death too. The wives of Ramanagouda and Sanna Mallanagouda also sustained grievous injuries when they rushed to protect their husbands. The group also indulged in rioting and injuring several other relatives of the victims.
The brutal murders were in retaliation of the murder of Sunkanna allegedly over sharing of water for irrigation in 2010.
The Ballari (Rural) police had registered around five cases, including one pertaining to the murder of the brothers and another pertaining to murder of Nagaraja Gouda. The investigation had been entrusted to the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), then known as Corps of Detectives (CoD).
Except two accused, including Pompapati, accused number one, the remaining 24 accused were denied bail and were in judicial custody. Two accused passed away during the course of trial.
During the trial, 52 witnesses were examined, including the wives of the two deceased, and 94 exhibits and 34 material objects were produced before the court. The trial of third murder case and other cases were going on.
