Karnataka High Court upholds life term for man who murdered 3-year-old to avenge family feud

Rudresh, the accused, nursed an ill-will against Chaitrashree and her mother Renuka as they had complained about his lavish spending and theft of valuables from devotees of a mutt of their relative.

Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka has upheld the life sentence of a man convicted of killing a three-and-a-half-year-old boy to avenge a dispute with the child’s mother and grandmother. 

In April 2017, Chaitrashree, the mother of the deceased child, and her family visited Moolegadde Mutt in Hosanagara taluk, Shivamogga district, to attend the coronation of the new swami. 

The convict, Rudresh alias Rudraiah, worked at the mutt as an assistant. 

Channabasava Swami, the founder of Moolegadde Mutt, was a relative of Chaitrashree. Rudresh nursed an ill-will against Chaitrashree and her mother Renuka as they had complained about his lavish spending and theft of valuables from devotees. 

On April 10, 2017, Chaitrashree stayed in the mutt with her mother and the child. The next day, around 5.30 am, one of the relatives woke her up, breaking the news that her son had gone missing. 

After searching everywhere, they found the back gate open and Rudresh walking into the mutt from the Mavinahole Gundi (river) side. 

The Hosanagara police launched a search and found the child floating in the pond near the river.

They arrested Rudresh and charged him, stating that he had mixed 17 sleeping tablets in the sambar prepared for guests the previous night.

When Chaitrashree and others were in deep sleep under the influence of the sleeping pills, he had kidnapped the child and threw it into the pond, police said. 

On November 27, 2017, the sessions court in Shivamogga found him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment, until his natural death. Rudresh moved the high court challenging this order. 

Hearing his appeal, a division bench noted that the prosecution had proved the motive for the murder. 

“Having taken note of both oral and documentary evidence placed on record, it discloses that though the case rests upon circumstantial evidence, the circumstance against the accused is proved regarding the motive, preparation, recovery of dead body and the tablets at the instance of the accused. Medical evidence and scientific evidence also goes against the accused. When each chain link is established, we do not find any ground to interfere with the finding of the trial court regarding invoking of Section 302 of IPC is concerned,” the bench said. 

However, the bench modified the sentence to life imprisonment and allowed Rudresh to seek remission of sentence.