The Karnataka High Court on May 16 granted bail to Hindutva extremists Puneeth Kerehalli and four others, who were accused of murdering cattle transporter Idrees Pasha on April 1. The copy of the order, made available on June 7, stated that the court's decision to grant bail was based on discrepancies in the First Information Reports (FIRs) filed in the case and the lack of substantial evidence linking Puneeth Kerehalli to the offence.
Hindutva extremist Puneeth Kerehalli is the main accused in the murder of Idrees Pasha, a cattle transporter. After evading arrest for several days, he was arrested in Rajasthan on April 5. Puneeth and his associates intercepted Idrees Pasha and two others in Sathanur village in the Ramanagara district's Kanakapura taluk on March 31. The victims were transporting cattle from Mandya to Tamil Nadu, and Puneeth and his associates have been accused of killing Idrees Pasha. In the wake of cattle transporter Idrees Pasha’s death, TNM visited Ramanagara and Mandya and learned that the events preceding his murder pointed towards police complicity.
The court noted the inconsistencies in the FIRs as a significant factor in its decision. "There is no explanation as to why the FIR in Crime No 53/2023 (filed by Syed Zaheer) was registered at 5:30 am while the FIR in Crime No 54/2023 (filed by Yunus) was registered at 4 pm,” the court noted.
Initially, Puneeth Kerehalli and his associates had filed an FIR against Idrees Pasha and others for their alleged involvement in illegal cattle transportation. However, Syed Zaheer, another cattle transporter involved, later filed a separate FIR against the Hindutva extremists accusing them of attacking them, but did not mention anything about Idrees being killed.
The court stated that Yunus, brother of Idrees, had lodged a complaint with the police accusing Puneeth Kerehalli of the murder. Yunus, in his complaint, had stated that he found out about the murder from Syed Zaheer. The court wondered how Yunus found out about Idrees’s murder from Syed when Syed himself did not inform the police about it in his complaint.
The court found there was no strong prima facie material to connect Puneeth Kerehalli to the offence in question. The post-mortem report revealed that Idrees Pasha had sustained four abrasions, and the cause of death was pending further analysis. The court noted, “It is clear that there was no fatal injury on the dead body of the deceased at the time of the post-mortem examination. All these facts and circumstances give rise to a reasonable doubt about the manner in which the incident had taken place. Even though it is stated that accused No 1 is having criminal antecedents, from the materials that are placed before the Court there are no strong prima facie material to connect accused No.1 to the offence in question.”
The court imposed a bond of Rs 2 lakh and two sureties for the same amount for his bail.
Puneeth Kerehalli, affiliated with the far-right Hindutva group Rashtra Rakshana Pade, has a history of intercepting cattle transport vehicles and boasting about his "rescues." His Facebook profile is full of videos showcasing his interventions in cattle transportation, coupled with declarations of his love for cows. With close ties to the Bharatiya Janata Party, Puneeth has been actively campaigning against Muslim vendors near Hindu temples and advocating against the consumption of halal food in Karnataka.