RTI activist Vinayak Baliga’s questioning of some financial transactions of those involved in the management of the Venkatarama Temple at Car Street led to his murder, the city police said in a charge sheet submitted before the III Judicial Magistrate First Class on Thursday.
In the 770-page preliminary charge sheet, the police said that some persons managing the temple affairs were embarrassed after Baliga questioned their financial transactions at the meetings called by the temple administrative body. The charge sheet gives details of a civil case filed by Baliga in a Mangaluru court that questioned some of the transactions related to the temple. Baliga was insisting on a transparent administration of temple affairs. He was being humiliated at the meetings and was also threatened by some persons, the charge sheet said.
Naresh Shenoy, the founder of the Yuva Bridge, hatched a plan to murder Baliga and reportedly asked Srikant to execute it. Srikant allegedly hired Shiva, who, along with Vineet Poojary and Nishit Devadiga, murdered Baliga near his house in Kodialbail. The police have charged photographer K. Manjunath Shenoy alias Manju Neereshwalya with helping Naresh evade arrest.
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The police have named Naresh, who was taken to custody on Friday, as the first accused and Srikant, Shivaprasad alias Shiva, Vineet, Nishit, Shailesh and Manjunath, who have already been arrested, as accused no. 2 to 7, respectively. The police told the court that they would file a supplementary charge sheet after questioning other suspects in the murder.
‘Baliga was often humiliated at the meetings of the temple administrative body’