<p>An Additional City Civil and Sessions Court acquitted all the 11 accused in the murder case of former Gandhi Nagar Ward corporator S Nataraj for insufficient evidence.</p>.<p>Nagaraj was killed in broad daylight on Sampige Road near Malleswaram police station on October 1, 2011.</p>.<p>Sessions Judge Sadananda Nagappa Naik observed that the Malleswaram police did not conduct a proper investigation and no witnesses deposed to substantiate the motive for the crime.</p>.<p>The court also observed that the station house officer (SHO) and the Investigating Officer (IO) failed to produce before the court all the weapons and mobiles seized in the case.</p>.<p>The accused who have been acquitted are Mohan, Srinivas, Vijaykumar, Girish D R, Mani, R Murugan, Rajendra, Mahesh, Ashoka, Naveen Kumar and Nagesh.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>Conspiracy</strong></p>.<p>The complainant in the case is Selvaraj S, the younger brother of Nataraj. Though Selvaraj deposed before the court, he died during the pendency of the trial.</p>.<p>According to Selvaraj, one of the accused, R Murugan, had contested the corporation election against Nataraj. He, along with the other accused, hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Nataraj.</p>.<p>The prosecution case was that Nataraj was attacked when he parked his two-wheeler at a shop on Sampige Road. The accused got down from a car and attacked Nataraj with machetes. He succumbed to injuries on his way to a hospital.</p>.<p>The court observed that though the prosecution had examined 60 witnesses, almost half of them did not support the case of the prosecution.</p>.<p>“Further, the prosecution has failed to examine panch witnesses and eyewitnesses in spite of sufficient opportunities as the SHO was not able to secure them in spite of issuance of summons, warrants and proclamations. The evidence available before the court is only the evidence of police witnesses and official witnesses,” the court said.</p>
<p>An Additional City Civil and Sessions Court acquitted all the 11 accused in the murder case of former Gandhi Nagar Ward corporator S Nataraj for insufficient evidence.</p>.<p>Nagaraj was killed in broad daylight on Sampige Road near Malleswaram police station on October 1, 2011.</p>.<p>Sessions Judge Sadananda Nagappa Naik observed that the Malleswaram police did not conduct a proper investigation and no witnesses deposed to substantiate the motive for the crime.</p>.<p>The court also observed that the station house officer (SHO) and the Investigating Officer (IO) failed to produce before the court all the weapons and mobiles seized in the case.</p>.<p>The accused who have been acquitted are Mohan, Srinivas, Vijaykumar, Girish D R, Mani, R Murugan, Rajendra, Mahesh, Ashoka, Naveen Kumar and Nagesh.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>Conspiracy</strong></p>.<p>The complainant in the case is Selvaraj S, the younger brother of Nataraj. Though Selvaraj deposed before the court, he died during the pendency of the trial.</p>.<p>According to Selvaraj, one of the accused, R Murugan, had contested the corporation election against Nataraj. He, along with the other accused, hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Nataraj.</p>.<p>The prosecution case was that Nataraj was attacked when he parked his two-wheeler at a shop on Sampige Road. The accused got down from a car and attacked Nataraj with machetes. He succumbed to injuries on his way to a hospital.</p>.<p>The court observed that though the prosecution had examined 60 witnesses, almost half of them did not support the case of the prosecution.</p>.<p>“Further, the prosecution has failed to examine panch witnesses and eyewitnesses in spite of sufficient opportunities as the SHO was not able to secure them in spite of issuance of summons, warrants and proclamations. The evidence available before the court is only the evidence of police witnesses and official witnesses,” the court said.</p>
