Mangaluru: Fourteen people have been convicted for their alleged involvement in an attempt to murder two accused in the high-profile Bhaskar Shetty murder case while they were lodged in Mangaluru District Prison.
The development relates to an attack inside the prison in September 2017, when two of the main accused in the Bhaskar Shetty murder case were assaulted by fellow inmates. The incident had drawn attention because the victims were themselves facing trial in one of Udupi district’s most sensational murder cases.
Attack inside Mangaluru prison
The two accused attacked in the prison were Navaneeth Shetty and astrologer Niranjan Bhat, who were among the principal accused in the murder of businessman Bhaskar Shetty.
Contemporary reports said the two were assaulted by a group of inmates inside the ‘B’ Block of Mangaluru District Prison on September 12, 2017. Both sustained injuries and were shifted to Wenlock District Hospital for treatment.
The attack added another dramatic chapter to the Bhaskar Shetty case, which had already attracted widespread attention because of the circumstances surrounding the businessman’s death and the subsequent investigation.
14 convicted in attempted murder case
The latest court development concerns the criminal case registered over the prison attack.
Fourteen accused have now been convicted for their role in the incident, according to the Udayavani report.
The conviction brings a separate legal proceeding arising from the Bhaskar Shetty case to a significant stage. The case was not related to the conviction of Bhaskar Shetty’s family members and the astrologer for his murder, but to the subsequent attack on two of the accused while they were in custody.
Who were the two victims?
Navaneeth Shetty, Bhaskar Shetty’s son, and Niranjan Bhat, an astrologer, were among the three principal accused convicted in the original murder case.
The Udupi Principal District and Sessions Court convicted Bhaskar Shetty’s wife Rajeshwari Shetty, son Navaneeth Shetty and Niranjan Bhat in June 2021 and sentenced all three to life imprisonment.
Bhaskar Shetty, an NRI businessman and hotelier from Udupi, was murdered on July 28, 2016. Investigators alleged that his body was burnt in a homa kund after the killing in an attempt to destroy evidence. His remains were subsequently recovered and forensic evidence helped establish his identity.
Bhaskar Shetty murder case
The murder investigation became one of the most closely followed criminal cases in coastal Karnataka.
According to court records and reports, five people were initially named as accused in the murder case. The three principal accused were Rajeshwari Shetty, Navaneeth Shetty and Niranjan Bhat, while Srinivas Bhat and driver Raghavendra were also accused in the case.
The prosecution’s case centred on the killing of Bhaskar Shetty at his residence in Udupi and the alleged efforts to destroy evidence by disposing of his remains.
The trial eventually resulted in life sentences for Rajeshwari Shetty, Navaneeth Shetty and Niranjan Bhat.
Prison attack became another case
The assault on Navaneeth Shetty and Niranjan Bhat occurred while the original murder trial was still pending.
The attack reportedly involved around 10 inmates, according to contemporary accounts. Both accused were injured and taken to Wenlock District Hospital. The incident raised questions about security inside Mangaluru District Prison, particularly because the victims were high-profile undertrial prisoners.
The subsequent prosecution of those accused of attacking them continued separately from the main Bhaskar Shetty murder proceedings.
The latest conviction of 14 people therefore represents the outcome of the prison assault case and should not be confused with the 2021 conviction in the original murder case.
A separate chapter in a high-profile case
The Bhaskar Shetty case has seen several developments over the years, from the 2016 murder investigation and recovery of the victim’s remains to the conviction of the three principal accused in 2021.
The prison assault added another layer to the case, with two of the accused becoming victims of a separate alleged attempt on their lives while in judicial custody.
With 14 people now convicted in connection with that attack, the latest development brings attention back to the security challenges surrounding high-profile prisoners and the legal proceedings that followed the assault.
The conviction also underlines that the prison attack was treated as a separate criminal matter from the murder for which Navaneeth Shetty and Niranjan Bhat were originally arrested.