JOIN USThe High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of Surendra Babu, husband of television artiste Hemashri and the prime accused in her murder.
Justice K Sreedhar Rao dismissed the bail petition, stating that there is prima facie case against the accused.
During the hearing, the counsel for the petitioners Ravi B Naik submitted that the accused had no motive or intention to kill the actor and that he had taken her to Hyderabad to sort out differences between them.
However, State Public Prosecutor (SPP) S Doreraju strongly objected to the bail plea and stated that the accused was an influential person and a leader of a political party.
“Having command over man, money and material, he may manage, maintain and manoeuvre the case,” he said and requested the rejection of the bail plea. The SPP noted that there is prima facie material against the accused.
“In addition to this, the deceased had herself lodged a complaint against the accused. He is capable of manipulating the investigation and he has committed a cold-blooded brutal murder of a harmless innocent girl,” he said.
The SPP also submitted that the motive of the accused to use chloroform had been established by the statements of eight witnesses.
He said the post mortem reports stated that the death was due to asphyxiation which occurred due to smothering with chloroform-soaked material, while the forensic reports state that traces of chloroform were found on her clothes, stomach, intestine, portion of her liver and kidney and blood, which made the evidence against the accused.
When the counsel for the petitioners reiterated that there was no motive for murder, Justice Rao said, “Then, why did you take the chloroform? Were you influenced by old Kannada films? There is prima facie motive in the act. Let him be in jail for two years,” he said orally and rejected the bail petition.