Bengaluru: A Bengaluru court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 for murdering a 34-year-old man who refused to give him Rs 100 in Jayanagar police station limits in 2018.

The accused, Veeramanikanta, also known as Vijay, Viji and Pambu, was convicted of murdering Dinakaran following an attack on July 17, 2018. The LXV Additional City Civil and Sessions Court, Bengaluru, found that the prosecution had established the murder charge through corroborative evidence.

Judge S N Kalkani pronounced the judgment, holding the accused guilty under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Victim attacked after refusing to pay Rs 100

According to the prosecution, the incident occurred at around 5 pm on July 17, 2018, when Dinakaran, aged 34, was walking along Ambedkar Road in Shakambari Nagar towards Rajarajeshwari slum.

Veeramanikanta allegedly approached him and demanded Rs 100. When Dinakaran said he did not have the money, the accused attacked him with a dagger button knife, inflicting injuries on his left cheek and left hand.

The accused then allegedly forced Dinakaran’s head down and repeatedly assaulted the back of his neck with a machete.

Dinakaran was rushed to hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

The case was subsequently investigated by the Jayanagar police, and the prosecution presented evidence to establish the circumstances of the attack and the accused’s involvement.

Court finds prosecution established murder charge

During the trial, the court considered the evidence presented by the prosecution, including corroborative material relating to the assault.

The judge observed that Veeramanikanta had a pattern of harassing people for money and assaulting them when they refused to pay, according to the case proceedings.

The court concluded that the prosecution had proved the charge of murder under Section 302 of the IPC and sentenced the accused to life imprisonment.

The judgment brings the case, which arose from the fatal attack in July 2018, to a conclusion at the trial court level.

Accused’s mother acquitted of evidence tampering charge

The court also considered allegations against Veeramanikanta’s mother, Gandhi, who was listed as accused No. 2 in the case.

She had been accused of tampering with evidence by cleaning the bloodstained spot with water after the incident. However, the prosecution failed to establish the charge against her under Section 201 of the IPC.

The court acquitted Gandhi of the charge, finding that the prosecution had not proved its case against her.

Fine and compensation for victim’s wife

In addition to the life sentence, the court directed Veeramanikanta to pay a fine of Rs 25,000. It ordered that the amount be paid to Dinakaran’s wife.

The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to award compensation to her under Section 357 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to support her livelihood.

The compensation direction is intended to provide financial assistance to the victim’s wife following the loss of her husband.