Silvester D’ Souza

Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP)

Kundapur, Jan 19: Kundapur additional and sessions judge Prakash Khanderi has sentenced Ganganadu resident Shankernarayana Hebbar (47) to death for killing his children, following illegal sexual relations with his maid.

Hebbar became frustrated after the maid got married to somebody else. Therefore, he had fed poison and killed his two children, consumed poison himself and attempted to kill his wife in his bid for mass suicide.

This is the third instance where death sentence was awarded in the history of Kundapur court. The accused had fed food laced with poison to his two children and wife and he also ate it while going to sleep at night on October 16, 2016. His son Ashwin Kumar (16) and daughter Aishwarya Laxmi (14) had died in the morning and his wife Mahalaxmi whose condition was critical had recovered in the hospital. Accused Shankernarayana Hebbar had remained alive as he had consumed a small quantity of food.

Hebbar had written a 16 page death note that their maid with whom he had an extra marital relationship got married to someone else. “I am unable to live without her. My family cannot live without me. Therefore, we are committing mass suicide. Our last rites should be performed only after the maid pays her last respects,” stated the death note.

The then Byndoor police circle inspector Raghava Padil had submitted a charge sheet to the court. The verdict was out on Saturday.

Death sentence for murders under section 302, seven years rigorous imprisonment under section 307 for attempted murder, Rs 10,000 fine or one month’s ordinary prison term, ten years rigorous prison term for feeding poison under section 328, Rs 10,000 fine or two months prison term, seven years rigorous imprisonment for destroying evidence under section 202, Rs 10,000 fine and six months ordinary prison term for attempted suicide are slapped on him.

The justice has said that his wife can obtain compensation from legal services authority. The district public prosecutor Beloor Prakashchandra Shetty had argued in the court for maximum possible sentence to the accused in the purview of law.