Issue 10 | 20 Jan. 2007

Muthappa Rai acquitted in Seena murder case

Underworld don Muthappa Rai, co-accused in the Seena murder case, has been acquitted by the Karnataka High Court. In a significant verdict announced on Wednesday, a division bench comprising Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice N Ananda rejected the proposal filed by the State, questioning the trial court's verdict and upheld the acquittal of Rai.

The trial court had acquitted Muthappa Rao and 17 others on the Seena murder case on May 30, 2003 which was reported in 1997.

Though the trial court had acquitted all the accused in that case, the prosecution chose to question the acquittal of only accused no. 5, Muthappa Rai before the High Court.

The appeal was filed after a delay of nearly two years. The prosecution had contended before the court that the trial had acquitted Rai without framing charges against him.

However, the High Court found that the trial court had indeed framed charges against Rai for hatching criminal conspiracy with others to kill Seena. The division bench noted that the appeal was filed only against one person though other co-conspirators too were acquitted in the case and dismissed the plea after the State informed the court that the acquittal of the other accused was not challenged.