In a significant development, Puneeth Kerehalli, a Hindutva extremist, along with four others, has been granted conditional bail by the Karnataka High Court. The bail order pertains to their alleged involvement in the murder of Idrees Pasha, a cattle transporter. The accused had evaded arrest for several days before being apprehended in Rajasthan on April 5. The bail was issued by Justice MG Uma, who presided over a vacation bench and considered three separate petitions filed by the defendants.
Puneeth Kerehalli and his four associates have been charged under Sections 302 (Murder), 341 (Wrongful Restraint), and 504 (Intentional Insult with Intent to Provoke Breach of Peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on a complaint filed by Pasha's family members.
The incident in question occurred when Idrees Pasha and two others were intercepted by alleged cow vigilantes in Sathanur village, situated in Kanakapura taluk of Ramanagara district. They were transporting cattle from Mandya to Tamil Nadu. Tragically, Idrees Pasha was found dead, reportedly murdered by Hindutva activists. Additionally, one of his associates was subjected to physical assault.
During the bail hearing, Advocate Arun Shyam, representing the petitioner, highlighted that the post-mortem examination of Idrees Pasha's body revealed only minor scratches, with no significant injuries reported. The body was discovered approximately 100 meters away from the Sathanur police station, leading Advocate Shyam to argue that this information should have been promptly communicated to the police.
Social media videos had surfaced, showing Puneeth Kerehalli using a stun gun to inflict pain during his "cow vigilante" activities. Furthermore, burn marks were found on Idrees Pasha's body.
Puneeth has been photographed alongside prominent leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka. The First Information Report (FIR) indicates that Pasha possessed valid documentation proving the legality of the cattle he was transporting from the local market. Despite this, Puneeth and his associates allegedly continued to intimidate Pasha, demanding a ransom of Rs 2 lakh for his release, while threatening to kill him if the amount was not paid.