Gowda, accompanied by his associates, had come to the court to attend a hearing on a murder case in which he is one of the accused.
Hearing adjourned
With the hearing adjourned, Gowda and his friends came out of the court to have tea.
Gowda came out of the court premises to attend a call on his mobile, when group of people accosted him and one of them shot Gowda in his head and fled, eyewitnesses said.
A profusely bleeding Raju died en route to the hospital. Tension prevailed for a while at the court premises following the killing. Police Sub-inspectors Vijaya Muragundi and Yashwanth Bisanalli rushed to the spot and controlled the situation.
Raju Gowda and his brother Sharana Gowda were the prime accused in a murder case where Sanjeeva Reddy was killed in front of the Surpur court in 2006. Apart from the duo, 30 other persons were also facing charges in the case. Sharana Gowda was killed four months ago at Sindhagi in Bijapur.
Published 27 August 2010, 17:47 IST