RTI activist Vinayak Baliga murder trial begins

Mangaluru: The trial in the murder case of RTI activist and active member of BJP, Vinayak Baliga has started at the sixth district and sessions court, nearly six years after he was brutally murdered.

S Balakrishnan, a government-appointed special prosecutor is defending the prosecution’s case.

The first phase of witness interrogation took place from January 3 to 5.

During the inquiry, the first accused Naresh Shenoy, the second accused Srikanth, the third accused Shivaprasad alias Shiva alias Shivaprasanna, the fourth accused Vineet Poojary, the fifth accused Nishith Devadiga, the sixth accused Shailesh alias Shailu, and the seventh accused Manjunath Shenoy alias Manju appeared in court.

Vignesh Nayak, one of the accused, was found hanging at his house in November 2020.

On the first day of the murder trial, witnesses Bhami Sudhakar Shenoy, Rayi Ganapati Baliga, Chethan Kamath, Chandrakantha Kamath, and Vishwanath Kamath testified in court.

Witnesses Kartik Pai, Mohammed Harshad, Dinesh Baliga, Radha, Sulakshna, Sujir Balakrishna Shenoy, Rajesh Shetty, Padmanabaha Moolya, and Deekshith Shetty testified before the judge on the second day.