2020 Bengaluru violence: Karnataka high court rejects suspects’petition against special court order | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: The high court has dismissed a petition filed by 15 accused individuals in the Aug 2020 east Bengaluru violence case, who were chargesheeted.Syed Abbas and others contested the Aug 5, 2024 ruling by a special NIA court that had rejected their application for discharge from terrorism offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.The accused argued that there was insufficient evidence and invalid UAPA charges were invoked, while NIA’s special public prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar contested the petition’s validity against the special court’s discharge rejection order.A division bench of Justices Sreenivas Harish Kumar and KS Hemalekha stated that discharge rejection orders are intermediate, affecting accused persons’ rights and such orders require appeals through the high court.The bench referenced Supreme Court guidelines stating trial courts must evaluate broad possibilities, evidence impact, and document authenticity while deciding on discharge applications. They must verify sufficient material exists to try suspects, ensuring expeditious trial disposal without impediments.The bench noted that the special court found Section 15 UAPA applicable, determining the suspects’ actions intended to cause public terror. The petition was dismissed as it failed to present an exceptional case warranting intervention.The violence occurred in DJ Halli and KG Halli police jurisdictions on the night of Aug 11, 2020, resulting in at least four fatalities. A controversial Facebook post sparked these incidents, leading an unruly crowd to attack the police station and burn the then MLA Akhanda Shrinivasamurthy’s residence after learning his nephew Naveen had authored the post.
