Cop accused of fake encounter wants HC to appoint old trial judge

A police officer accused of killing a history-sheeter in a fake encounter 12 years ago has gone to High Court against the hearing of his trial in a lower court by a new judge.

Babu Noronha, along with another policeman S Ramesh Kumar, had gunned down Sagayam, a history-sheeter from KGF, at an under-construction building near Ramamurthy Nagar on an early October morning in 2003. The policemen pounded 12 bullets into Sagayam at close range. They claimed it was an encounter. Noronha was inspector of Commercial Street police station and Kumar headed the Ramamurthy Nagar police station.

The matter was entrusted to the CBI which conducted an enquiry and concluded in its report the encounter was fake. A case was then registered against Noronha and Kumar and hearing on it got over. The court was to pronounce its judgement. Then the trial court judge was transferred and the matter assigned to another judge.

Noronha has moved the High Court, stating the previous judge should complete the trial. He argued that changing the judge would mean the trial had to be started all over again. His petition was listed before Justice A N Venugopala Gowda on Tuesday.