Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, May 10: The first district and sessions court here has sentenced Udaya alias Udayaraj alias Babu (38) and Lancy D'Souza alias Lancy alias Mamu (35), resident of Permannur Pandit House Santosh Nagar, to life terms after finding them guilty of murdering an auto rickshaw driver after fight erupted between them on a trivial issue on the night of August 15, 2014.
On the night of August 15, Yatish Kumar and his friends were partying in a bar at Thokkottu. Lancy and his friends were seated in another table nearby. To celebrate Independence Day, Karaoke songs had been arranged. When Kailash Babu, friend of Yatish, was rendering a song, Lancy and his friends reportedly ridiculed him and shouted. After Yatish objected to this behaviour, verbal friction ensured. Feeling insulted, Lancy called his friends, Uday Kumar and Vinay Kumar to come to the spot. Yatish came out of the bar with friends, and was joined by these two persons. Arguments erupted between the two groups after which Yatish was stabbed in the abdomen with a knife. Although Yatish was taken to private hospital, he could not be saved. The murder was recorded in CCTV camera of the bar.
Yatish
The court acquitted Vinay Kumar, third accused from the charges, finding that charge of murder levelled against him was not proved. Judge of the court, C M Joshi, also imposed fine of Rs 20,000 each on the two convicts. If they fail to pay fine, they have been ordered to remain behind bars for six more months.
As Uday has been under judicial custody since 2014, this period will be set off against the sentence now pronounced. Lancy D'Souza's judicial custody between August 27 and March 20, 2015, will also be eligible to be deducted out of the life term now given. Lancy had been released on bail thereafter. The judge has also recommended to the district legal services authority to pay compensation to the wife and child of murdered Yatish Kumar.
In this case, public prosecutor, Raju Poojary Bannadi, had presented the case on behalf of the prosecution. The then police sub-inspector of Ullal, Dharmendra, had functioned as chief investigating officer. 28 witnesses were examined and 48 documents were taken on evidence.