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NC: 2023:KHC:34678
CRL.P No. 6247 of 2023
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU
DATED THIS THE 23RD DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2023
BEFORE
THE HON'BLE MR JUSTICE M.NAGAPRASANNA
CRIMINAL PETITION NO. 6247 OF 2023
BETWEEN:
VINAY R. KULKARNI
S/O LATE RAJASHEKARAPPA KULKARNI,
AGED ABOUT 53 YEARS, R/A BARAKOTI,
SHIVAGIRI, DHARWAD-580007.
… PETITIONER
(BY SRI. C.H. HANUMANTHARAYA, ADV.
A/W SRI. ABHINAYAK & SRI. K.V. MANOJ, ADVS.)
AND:
STATE OF KARNATAKA BY
CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION,
ANTI CORRUPTION BRANCH, BENGALURU,
PRASANA KUMAR P.,
R/BY SPECIAL PUBLIC PROSECUTOR,
HIGH COURT COMPLEX, BENGALURU-560001.
… RESPONDENT
(BY SRI.PRASANNA KUMAR P., SPECIAL PUBLIC PROSECUTOR)
THIS CRIMINAL PETITION IS FILED UNDER SECTION 439(1)(b)
OF CR.P.C. BY THE ADVOCATE FOR THE PETITIONER PRAYING TO
RELAX CONDITION NO.(iii) I.E., THE ACCUSED NO.15 SHALL NOT
ENTER THE DISTRICT DHARWAD TILL FURTHER ORDERS TO BE
PASSED BY THE TRIAL COURT, IMPOSED UPON HIM BY THE
LEARNED LXXXI CITY CIVIL AND SESSIONS JUDGE, AT BENGALURU
WHILE GRANTING HIM REGULAR BAIL, THEREBY PERMITTING HIM
TO VISIT THE DISTRICT OF DHARWAD ENABLING HIM TO FULFILL
HIS
DUTIES
TOWARDS
THE
PEOPLE
OF
HIS
LEGISLATIVE
CONSTITUENCY IN SPL.C.NO.565/2021, PENDING BEFORE THE
LEARNED LXXXI ADDL. CITY CIVIL AND SESSIONS
JUDGE,
BENGALURU (CCH-82).
THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR ORDERS, THIS DAY, THE
COURT MADE THE FOLLOWING:
VISHAL
NINGAPPA
PATTIHAL
Digitally
signed by
VISHAL
NINGAPPA
PATTIHAL
Date:
2023.09.27
13:53:24
+0530
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NC: 2023:KHC:34678
CRL.P No. 6247 of 2023
1.
The petitioner – accused No.15 is before this
Court in the subject petition under Section 439(1)(b) of
the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Cr.P.C.) seeking
relaxation of bail condition, with particular reference to
condition No.(iii) to enter Dharwad District, his legislative
constituency of which he is the representative as on date.
2.
Heard
the
learned
counsel
Sri.C.H.Hanumantharaya appearing for the petitioner and
the learned Special Public Prosecutor Sri.Prasanna Kumar
P. representing CBI.
3.
Facts adumbrated are as follows:
A crime comes to be registered in Crime No.135/2016
against unknown persons in connection with the murder of
one Yogesh Goudar on 15.06.2016 at Dharwad. The crime
was for offences punishable under Sections 143, 147, 148,
120B, 302 and 201 read with Section 149 of the Indian
Penal Code, 1860 (IPC). The investigation is conducted on
the said crime, and the investigation leads to filing of the
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charge sheet against the accused. The petitioner at that
point in time was not arrayed as an accused. Since the
offence was the one punishable under Section 302 of the
IPC and the matter was solely triable by the Court of
Session, the matter was committed to the Sessions Court
by the learned Magistrate and it was then numbered as
S.C. No.50/2017.
4.
During the pendency of the trial before the
Court of Session, the Government of Karnataka takes a
decision to entrust the matter for further investigation to
the hands of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The CBI then registers a separate FIR and conducts further
investigation and files three supplementary charge sheets
under
Section
173(8)
of
the
Cr.P.C.
The
second
supplementary charge sheet is where the petitioner comes
into the web of crime as accused No.15. It is then the
petitioner was taken into custody and bail petitions filed
before the concerned Court and the High Court, comes to
be rejected which drives the petitioner to the Apex Court.
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5.
The Hon’ble Apex Court directs the Trial Court
to grant bail on certain conditions. The conditions were
also enumerated by the Apex Court to be incorporated.
Based upon the said direction of the Apex Court, the
petitioner then knocks at the doors of the Sessions Court
seeking bail. The Sessions Court grants bail by imposing
conditions over and above the conditions that were
already imposed by the Apex Court.
6.
The
petitioner
then
files
a
Miscellaneous
Application before the Apex Court seeking relaxation of
bail conditions as was imposed by the Apex Court with
particular reference to condition Nos.(iii) and (iv). The
Apex Court relaxed condition No.(iv), but did not consider
condition No.(iii). The petitioner then at the time when he
was to contest for the ensuing Legislative Assembly
elections as a candidate for Dharwad District, knocks at
the doors of the Sessions Court seeking relaxation of
condition No.(iii) which comes to be turned down. The
turning down of the condition again leads the petitioner to
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this Court in a petition seeking relaxation of condition
under Section 439(1)(b) of the Cr.P.C. The Co-ordinate
Bench of the Court rejects the application seeking such
relaxation of condition. The petitioner after the judgment
rendered by the Co-ordinate Bench is elected as a Member
of the Legislative Assembly, from Dharwad District. He is
therefore moving the matter again for relaxation of
condition that was imposed as to condition No.(iii) that in
the light of him being an MLA today, of Dharwad
constituency, so that he could serve the people of his
constituency to the fullest.
7.
The learned counsel Sri.C.H.Hanumantharaya
appearing for the petitioner would seek to place reliance
upon several judgments of the Apex Court to buttress his
submission that successive bail petitions either for grant or
for relaxation of conditions is maintainable, on one score
that there should be changed circumstance. According to
the learned counsel, the score of changed circumstance is
his ele
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