When asked on what grounds the accused were granted bail, the brother of the deceased said: “Police told us that the FIR was filed late. It is not true, they are just misguiding us.”
Ghazala Ahmad | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday granted conditional bail to the main accused, Puneeth Kerehalli, and four others in the murder case of Idrees Pasha, a cattle trader.
Idrees Pasha, hailing from Mandya District, had purchased cattle from Tendekere market near Maddur and he possessed a valid receipt of the purchase. He was intercepted near Santemala Circle in Sathanur by Kerehalli who allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh from the deceased. When his demand was not met, he threatened Idrees Pasha and assaulted him with weapons. His body was found in Sathanur village in Ramanagara district on March 31.
The accused, booked under Sections 34, 302, 324, 341, 504, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, avoided arrest for a while before they were apprehended from Rajasthan on April 5.
Kerehalli is a leader of the far-right Hindutva group Rashtra Rakshana Pade. He has a history of intercepting cattle transport vehicles and boasting about ‘rescuing’ cattle. His Facebook profile is filled with videos of him intercepting cattle transportation and proclaiming his love for cows. With close ties to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kerehalli has been aggressively campaigning against Muslim vendors near Hindu temples and opposing the consumption of halal food in Karnataka.
Presiding over a vacation bench Justice M.G. Uma considered three separate petitions submitted by the defendants and issued the bail order.
The petitioners argued that since investigations have concluded and police have already submitted a chargesheet in the trial court, their continued detention was unnecessary, media reports said.
However, the family of the deceased says otherwise and accused the police of mishandling the case.
Talking to Clarion India over the phone, Yunous Pasha, Idrees Pasha’s brother, refuted the petitioners’ claim and maintained that no chargesheet has been filed by the police.
When asked on what grounds the accused were granted bail, he said, “Police told us that the FIR was filed late. It is not true, they are just misguiding us.”
He said: “Everybody saw the video wherein Puneeth and his men were shown chasing Idrees. Now these murderers will walk freely in front of our eyes.”
He said their next step has not been decided yet. “We will have to discuss this with our lawyer. But we will seek justice until we will get it.”
The group of 5 stands accused of inflicting brutal torture upon and ultimately causing the death of 39-year-old Idrees Pasha.
Initially, the trial court rejected their bail plea; hence they approached the High Court to seek relief.
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Photo: Puneeth Kerehalli (centre) and four others — accused in the murder of Idrees Pasha. — (Taken from media)
