HC confirms life sentence for lawyer for murdering his female colleague

Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka confirmed that SL Rajappa (34) was imposed life imprisonment by the trial court, for murdering his female colleague.

The division bench of Justice K N Phaneendra and Justice Dr HB Prabhakara Sastry upheld the sentence imposed on Rajappa while dismissing the criminal appeal that questioned the judgement of the trial court.

Rajappa had filed the criminal appeal, praying to set aside the judgement of conviction by the trial court. The order sentenced him to imprisonment for life and a fine of Rs 5,500.

In relation to this case, the HC regard stated, “The argument of the counsel of Rajappa that the act of the accused can at best be termed as an act committed under provocation, cannot be accepted. The prosecution has placed cogent, consistent, reliable and trustworthy evidence, which have clearly proved beyond all reasonable doubts, that the accused committed the murder of Naveena and also attempted to commit suicide.”

It may be recalled that Naveena J S (25) was stabbed multiple times by her spurned lover and fellow advocate Rajappa in a corner near court hall number 4 on the first floor of the high court building on July 8, 2010, between 1.45 and 1.50 PM. Later he entered the washroom on the first floor and tried to commit suicide by drinking poison and stabbing himself with the same knife he had used to stab Naveena.