The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to Gowramma, a former BBMP corporator, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case of RTI activist Lingaraju in 2012.
A bench of Justices S Abdul Nazeer and Krishna Murari allowed her plea against the Karnataka High Court's order of June 9, 2021, declining her relief.
Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, along with advocate Sanjay M Nuli, appearing for her, submitted that the woman petitioner has been suffering from Diabetes Mellitus and Hypothyroidism, which required bed rest up to six months and a good nutritious diet which would only be available at home.
The counsel also submitted that her son was a psychiatric patient who needed parental care.
In her plea, among other grounds, Gowramma contended that the High Court had failed to appreciate that all material witnesses had turned hostile in the case and she was convicted solely based on circumstantial evidence. She was accused of pledging her jewellery to pay off the hired killers, a charge, which was not even proved, the plea claimed.
The plea also said she is the ex-corporator of BBMP ward number 141 Azad Nagar, Bengaluru and hailed from a respectable family and would never involve herself in such incidents.
Gowramma, along with 11 others, were sentenced to life term after having been convicted of murdering RTI activist Lingaraju on November 20, 2012. The prosecution claimed the deceased was hacked to death as he filed a complaint with Lokayukta alleging amassing of disproportionate assets against the petitioner, leading to a raid at her premises.
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(Published 02 December 2021, 15:28 IST)
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