Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (GA)

Mangalore, Jul 20: Accused in the six-year-old sensational Sahana Shankari murder case of Puttur have been convicted under IPC Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (dowry harassment).  However pattern of punishment will be pronounced on Friday July 21 at the Dakshina Kannada District Second Divisional Court.

While Sahana's husband Ravi alias Chandramohan and father-in-law Eshwar Bhat alias Sixer Bhat have been convicted under IPC Sections 302 and 201, her mother-in-law Durgaparameshwari and brother-in-law Rajendra of Kuppetti have been acquitted.

Sahana Shankari, daughter of M S Vaidya had been given in marriage to Ravi.  Theirs was a love marriage.  However, after sometime he along with his parents and brother-in-law started harassing Sahana and asked her to bring dowry.  As the days passed, harassment had increased.

On October 10, 2001 Sahana had gone to her parental house to seek her parents' blessing since it was her birthday.  She returned home at 8.30 where once again her husband and in-laws started harassing her for dowry.  They later tried to strangle her to death.  But she did not die.  So they admitted her to Adarsh Hospital at Puttur on the same night and passed news to her parents in this regard. 

By the time her parents had arrived to the hospital, she had breathed her last.  But her parents filed a case with the police that she was murdered by her husband and in-laws. 

The police had filed the charge sheet based on substantial clues they gathered during the investigation.  The district Second Divisional Court which took the case for hearing has now acquitted Durgaparameshwari and Rajendra, while Ravi and Eshwar Bhat have been convicted.

Now all eyes are set on Friday July 21 when the court will pronounce the pattern of punishment to the guilty.