‘SPP in RTI activist murder case facing threat’

A Special Public Prosecutor (SPP), appointed on the direction of the Karnataka High Court to conduct the trial of RTI activist Lingaraju’s murder, is facing several threats, including a false complaint of rape, according to advocate Hashmath Pasha.

Lingaraju was murdered in the city in November 2012.

Mr. Pasha is the amicus curie in a PIL petition, which the High Court initiated

suo motu based on the newspaper reports about the murder of Lingaraju. And, the court monitored the probe by constituting a special investigation team (SIT).

The SIT had filed a charge sheet against Bruhat Bangalore Mahangara Palike (BBMP) councillor Gowramma, her husband, Govindaraju, and several others.

Mr. Pasha on Friday told a Division Bench comprising Justice N. Kumar and Justice B.V. Nagarathna that the State had appointed Sadashiva Murthy, a retired director of the Department of Prosecution as SPP to conduct the trial after intimating the High Court. Mr. Murthy succeeded in ensuring that the accused in the case, including Govindaraju, were denied bail, said Mr. Pasha. He also told the Bench that after failing to pressure the SPP, the accused succeeded in “winning over” Umadevi, wife of late Lingaraju. And Ms. Umadevi filed a petition in the High Court questioning Mr. Murthy’s appointment.

Also, Mr. Murthy was harassed with a complaint of rape and investigation revealed that the complaint was false, Mr. Pasha said while alleging that the Congress government has failed to protect the SPP as Gowramma represents Congress in BBMP. Following these submissions, the Bench decided to monitor the case and also to hear Ms. Umadevi’s petition, which is pending before a Single Bench.

‘Congress government has failed to protect the SPP as an accused represents the party in the BBMP council’