INDIA: COURT CONFIRMS DEATH PENALTY FOR FOUR IN TRIPLE MURDER

The High Court of Karnataka in Kalaburagi confirmed capital punishment imposed on four accused in a triple murder case by the District and Sessions Court of Yadgir.
A Division Bench consisting of Justice Anand Bayraraddy and Justice L. Narayanaswamy pronounced the order confirming death penalty to Basavaraj Pulleppa Chigarikar (52), Pallya Shankarappa Chigarikar (28), Yankappa Hulleppa Chigarikar (57) and Ramesh Chigarikar (26). All the convicts belong to Gundagurathi village in Deodurg taluk of Raichur district.
In October 2012, Principal District and Sessions Judge Sanjeev Kumar Hanchate, who heard the case, convicted the four, while acquitting another accused, head constable Meghanath Naik, for want of evidence.
On February 14, 2009, the convicts barged into a farmhouse at Gondadagi village in Saidapur police station limits of Yadgir district and murdered Basavarajappa Gouda, Srinivas and Shivareddy and set the bodies on fire.
They stabbed Suryakantamma in the neck and stomach and took away gold ornaments and cash from the house. Suryakantamma was the mother of Srinivas and Shivareddy.
Hearing Suryakantamma’s screams, Srinivas, a neighbour, rushed her to a hospital and she was saved.
The evidence provided by Suryakantamma proved to be crucial in the case resulting in the conviction of the accused. While the prosecution approached the High Court for confirmation of the death sentence, the accused had filed a review petition challenging the order passed by the Principal District and Sessions Judge.