VIJAYAPURA:A local court here on Monday acquitted all the seven accused, including Parashuram Waghmare — one of the accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder case — in a case filed against them
for hoisting the Pakistan flag in Sindagi in 2012.
According to the First Additional Court judge, they were acquitted because there was lack of evidence and there were technical errors in filing of the charge sheet. “The Superintendent of Police and Deputy
SP will go through the copy of the judgment in detail and then take a call on appealing further,” IGP (Northern Range) Alok Kumar told reporters.
Parashuram and six members of the Sri Rama Sene — Anil S, Rakesh Muth, Malkanagouda Patil, Rohit N, Sunil Agasur and Arun Waghmare — hoisted the Pakistan flag opposite to the Tahsildar’s office at Sindagi on January 1, 2012. The next day, they tried to create fear among people of the town by pelting stones at private and government vehicles, police said.
The Sindagi police arrested all of them in a week and slapped cases against them and named them communal rowdy-sheeters.According to police, their main intention was to instigate fight between two communities. They were also accused of damaging public property. All the seven were charged under sections 124, 153 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code.
According to legal experts, members of the public can file a PIL if the police fail to further appeal.
Meanwhile, Parashuram, who was in the custody of district police and lodged in Durga Jail here for the past few weeks, will now be handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the Gauri Lankesh murder case.
Two more held in Gauri Lankesh murder case
SIT has arrested two more persons, including the one who is suspected to be the bike rider who took Parashuram Waghmare — the suspected shooter — to journalist Gauri Lankesh’s house on the day she was killed. Both have been accused of disposing of the bike and the pistol after the murder. The arrested are Ganesh Miskin and Amith Ramachandra Baddi, both aged 27 and residents of Hubballi. With this, the number of arrested has gone up to nine.