Priyanka Jha case: probe ordered into advocate's complaint

February 3, 2011

Mangalore, February 3: The Judicial Magistrate First Class (Court II) has ordered an inquiry into a complaint against those who have warned that no advocate should represent the accused in the death of three-year-old Priyanka Jha.

Judicial Magistrate First Class (Court II) Guruprasad Kulakarni passed an order on January 21 stating that an officer of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police “is authorised to conduct an inquiry and submit a report” by February 15 in connection with a complaint made by advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady.

Mr. Hegde reported to the JMFC II that he had received threats to his life following a call given by leaders of some organisations warning advocates not to represent the accused in the Priyanka Jha case. Priyanka Jha was found dead amid allegations that she had been killed as part of a human sacrifice in an alleged case of black magic. Kamalaksha Purusha and his brother Madhava Purusha have been charged with her death. Mr. Hegde is representing them. The court directed that Mr. Hegde's submission be treated as a private complaint and ordered an inquiry into the allegations made by him. Citing newspaper reports in his complaint, Mr. Hegde said that Bajrang Dal leaders Sharan Pumpwell, Shivananda Mendon, Harish Amtadi and others approached president of the Mangalore Bar Association S.P. Chengappa, asking advocates of the Mangalore Bar Association not to represent the accused.

Mr. Hegde asked the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the persons named in his complaint and to obtain an undertaking and bond from them for “peaceful judicial proceedings”. He also asked the court to direct the Commissioner of Police to provide protection to him till the case ended.

The court observed that “an opinion can only be found after obtaining the conclusive report from the person authorised to conduct the investigation.” The judge authorised an officer of the rank of ACP under Section 156 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code to conduct the inquiry.

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Hindu woman wears burqa to pose as Muslim customer, enters husband’s textile shop and stabs him

News Network

November 21,2025

Bantwal: A domestic dispute appears to have led to a violent confrontation in BC Road area, where the owner of a textile shop was allegedly attacked with a knife by his wife on Wednesday evening.

Krishna Kumar Somayaji, the owner of Somayaji Textiles, sustained serious injuries in the incident and was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment. He is currently receiving care in the intensive care unit and is reported to have survived the assault, according to police.

The Bantwal Town police have registered a case against Somayaji's wife, Jyothi KT, who has since been taken into custody.

Police stated that the complainant, Namita, an employee at the shop, reported the sequence of events. She stated that around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, the suspect entered the shop, wearing a burqa and disguised as a customer, before attacking Somayaji with a knife. The employee then transported the injured owner to a local hospital via an autorickshaw.

Superintendent of Police Arun K confirmed that an ongoing domestic dispute between Somayaji and his wife reportedly preceded the attack. Police noted that Jyothi KT had previously visited the shop and issued threats.

Based on the complaint, Bantwal Town police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Indian Arms Act-1959. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.

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