Pocso case: Court acquits two

A special Pocso court in Udupi acquitted two men on charges of sexually assaulting and killing a PU student in Byndoor on June 17, 2015.

Sunil and his friend Akshaya, both 19, were acquitted by the court. During the trial, Judge Kalpana Yermal acquitted the duo due to glaring loopholes in the charge sheet.

On June 17, 2015, the 17-year-old victim was found dead near Byndoor in Udupi. Within two days of the incident, the then SP K Annamalai visited the spot and arrested Sunil and Akshaya from Yojana Nagara in Byndoor.

The Judge observed that the spot mahazar was not performed immediately after the victim's body was discovered.

The post mortem was also delayed, the Judge observed, upholding the arguments of advocates Subramaniah and Poornima.

Special public prosecutor Y T Raghavendra said the eyewitnesses had seen the accused men following the victim before sexually assaulting and killing her.

Sunil was imprisoned until his acquittal, while Akshaya, who is accused of misleading the police in order to protect Sunil, had been released on bail.