Hunsur double murder: Cops, prosecution ensure conviction

97 witnesses cross-examined; many individual witnesses had turned hostile

The sensational Hunsur double murder case was indeed a challenge for the prosecution with most of the witnesses, mainly eye-witnesses, turning hostile in the later stage of the trial. What came in handy was the circumstantial evidences and mahajar procedure, including seizure of weapons, courtesy Hunsur town police personnel.

Janata Dal (Secular) Corporator C Mahadesh, alias ‘Avva’ Madesha, and his brother Manju, their accomplices Chandu alias Chandru, Ravi alias Vontikoppal Ravi, Shivakumar alias Kalappa, Ramesh Babu alias Ambareesh alias Ambi and KK alias Karthik had done Rajesh alias Gandhi and Ramesh from Paduvarahalli in Mysuru to death at a farmhouse in Hunsur in May 2008.

They were awarded life imprisonment by second additional district and sessions court judge Vijaykumar M Anand Shetty, on Friday.

In all, 97 witnesses, including 53 independent (individual) witnesses, were cross-examined during the trial for a period of six years, starting from 2010. Among the witnesses, Sunil, the complainant, who survived with injuries and his friends Devendra alias Devu and others turned hostile later, contradicting their statements recorded before the police. The photographic evidence and weapons seized from the spot had a different story to tell, suffice to prove them wrong.

Eyewitnesses, who had identified the accused before the police, came out with contradictory statements before the judge. As per the procedure, statements will be recorded before the judge under section 164 Criminal Procedure Code. It was at that time, photographic evidence helped the prosecution in proving them wrong. Most importantly, the lab reports of a DNA test run on hair strand and blood stains found on a weapon seized from the scene of crime, confirmed that the hair strand belonged to the fourth accused in the case (Chandu alias Chandru) and blood stain was of the victims.

Beginning from special public prosecutor appointed in the case, A A Parashetty, H E Chinnappa took over the mantle, later followed by Anand Kumar. The trial began at Hunsur fast-track court on February 1, 2010, that was later transferred to second additional district and sessions judge court in Mysuru the same year.