Karnataka high court

BENGALURU: Advocate SL Rajappa, who allegedly murdered his colleague Naveena on the Karnataka high court premises about nine years ago, is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars. The HC has confirmed the life term imposed on him by a trial court last year.

Dismissing Rajappa’s appeal, a division bench comprising Justices KN Phaneendra and Justice HB Prabhakara Sastry said the prosecution has clearly proved beyond all reasonable doubt Rajappa’s act of murdering Naveena and the motive has also been established in the suicide note recovered from him.

The murder which rattled the country took place between 1.45pm and 1.50pm on July 8, 2010 in the eastern corridor of the HC, just in front of court hall 4 on the first floor.

Rajappa and Naveena were alumni of Kolar Degree Law College and were practising in Bengaluru. They were in a relationship, and Rajappa was obsessive about Naveena and wanted to marry her. After agreeing initially, she later turned down his proposal. A few months before the murder, when Rajappa found Naveena accompanying a senior colleague, he assumed they were having an affair and decided to kill her.

He stabbed her, attempted suicide

On the fateful afternoon, Rajappa attacked Naveena and repeatedly stabbed her in the chest and neck. Due to the impact and heavy bleeding, Naveena slumped to the floor and succumbed on the spot.

Rajappa then made an attempt to commit suicide by consuming alcohol laced with poison and also stabbing himself in the chest, neck and abdomen. He ran to a nearby men’s toilet and locked himself up inside. Thereafter, police constables secured him and shifted him to Mallya Hospital, where he recovered.

On October 25, 2018, the 62nd city civil and sessions court held Rajappa guilty and on October 27, 2018, it sentenced him to life imprisonment apart from levying a fine of Rs 5,000. He was also held guilty under Section 309 (attempt to commit suicide) of IPC.

Rajappa challenged the verdict in the high court, contending the investigating officer had not investigated who brought the knife used in the crime to the spot. He claimed the evidence furnished by two eyewitnesses didn’t inspire confidence as they had not volunteered to do so before the police officers who visited the spot immediately after the incident.

Further, it was argued that there was no uniformity pertaining to the scene of crime, with multiple versions. Regarding the 17 injuries sustained by Naveena, Rajappa claimed they could have been caused by a third person and claimed the prosecution had failed to prove the motive.

As Rajappa himself was greatly disturbed at that time, whatever happened may have been the result of sudden provocation, his counsel claimed.

‘Statements of witnesses reliable’

The state public prosecutor submitted that witness statements were reliable and provided a clear picture about the incident. He added the suicide note recovered from Rajappa’s pocket clearly established the motive that he not only wanted to kill Naveena but also wanted to commit suicide.

