Parashurama statue case: HC reserves judgment

The Karnataka High Court has reserved its judgment on a criminal case filed against Krishna Nayak, a sculptor and the head of Krish Art World, in connection with alleged irregularities in the construction of a bronze statue of Lord Parashurama on Umikal Hill in Karkala Taluk.

Nayak had filed a petition seeking to quash the FIR filed by Karkala Town Police and the proceedings at the JMFC Court, Karkala. The petition was heard by a single-judge bench led by Justice M. Nagaprasanna.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its judgment and extended the interim stay order on the criminal proceedings against Nayak, which had been issued on August 20.

Senior advocate M. Arun Shyam represented the petitioner, Krishna Nayak, while Additional Special Public Prosecutor B.N. Jagadeesh represented the prosecution. V.K. Sreekanth argued for the complainant, and Dinesh Hegde Ulepadi represented the construction committee.

During the hearing, the court expressed concern over the misuse of public funds in the name of constructing the Parashurama statue. The bench questioned why materials other than bronze were used in the construction, despite the original specification being for bronze.

Nayak’s defense argued that copper and brass were used to convert the materials to bronze, which did not satisfy the court. Justice
Nagaprasanna remarked that it seemed like public money had been looted under the guise of the statue’s construction.