RTI activist Vasudeva Adiga murder: court acquits eight accused over lack of evidence
Kundapur: The Kundapur additional district and sessions court on May 11, acquitted all the eight accused in the murder of RTI activist Vasudeva Adiga in Kundapur.
Due to lack of substantial evidence against the accused, the Kundapur additional district and sessions court judge Rajashekar Patil pronounced the Judgment and acquitted all the accused thus absolving them of all the charges.
The prime accused, astrologer Ramesh Bayari and the other accused Subramanya Udupa, Umesh, Naveen, Raghavendra, Mohan, advocate Ravichandra and Vijay Sarathi were arrested on the charges of murder, destruction of evidence and conspiracy to murder Adiga.
On the night of January 7, 2013, Adiga went missing and his body was found five days later at the Madagade lake near Kadur in Chikkamagaluru district. As the body was tied to a stone weighing over 20 kgs, drivers had a tough time retrieving the body from the lake.
Umesh, Subramanya Udupa, Naveen, Mohan Kumar, K S Raghavendra, Ravichandra and Vijayasarathi were arrested. They had then reportedly confessed to the police of having murdered Adiga at the behest of astrologer Ramesh Bayari.
Following a land dispute, Bayari had allegedly hatched a conspiracy with his brother-in-law Subramanya Udupa and an ardent follower Umesh, to eliminate his neighbour Adiga.
Investigation officer Kundapur DySP Yashoda Vontigodi had questioned 143 witnesses in the case and filed the charge sheet. All the accused in the case including astrologer Ramesh Bayari had succeeded in securing the bail.