BANGALORE: The High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to suspend the Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Sharanappa and two other police officials from Beltangady police station for failing to take action against a history-sheeter in connection with a land grabbing case.
Justice S N Satyanarayana was hearing a case filed by a housewife Shashikala Shetty and her sister Meena Shetty against the state government, SP and other police officials. It was contended that the sisters own a joint Hindu family property on which a Nagabanna Temple surrounded by an arecanut garden is located. They alleged that the accused, Mahesh Shetty, had in May illegally entered the said property and destroyed the temple and garden, in order to grab the land.
The petitioner alleged that though they had filed a civil suit, the sisters approached the police to get a criminal complaint registered. The police, however, refused to take any action. The petitioners said that even on orders from senior officials, the SP and local officials failed to register a criminal case.