The Hindu

Bangalore, Jan 1: The term of the Justice B.K. Somasekhara Commission of Inquiry, set up to probe attacks on churches in various districts of Karnataka in September 2008, has been extended till March 31, 2010.

The panel, in the meanwhile, is preparing to submit its interim report to the Government in the next 15 days.

This is the third extension given to the commission, set up immediately after a series of attacks on churches were reported from various districts of the State in 2008.

It started functioning from September 23, 2008.

Out of the 1,019 statements and affidavits taken up for inquiry by the commission, as on Wednesday, 731 witnesses have been examined in the sittings in Bangalore, Mangalore, Udupi and Davangere. The rest are to be examined within a span of three months.

N. Vidyashankar, Secretary to the Commission, told The Hindu that the panel would be able to complete the pending inquiries before the end of March, but may require a little more time to compile the final report for submission.

He said that the terms of reference of the commission were vast since they pertained to not one incident in one place, but to a series of them spread across the State.

The panel has the mandate to probe the sequence of events and circumstances leading to attack on the places of worship and the incidents thereafter, besides “any other matter which arises from or is connected” to these incidents.

The commission has so far done 25 spot inspections in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kolar, Chickballapur, Davangere and Bangalore Rural and Urban districts. Nearly 150 judicial sittings have been held and the commission has taken on record 30 material objects.

The commission has recorded all inspections and public sittings digitally and the material is available for public scrutiny. In an effort to speed up the process, the commission has empowered the legal advisers, Hemalath Mahishi and S.R. Raviprakash, to hold examinations of witnesses outside Bangalore.

Haveri panel’s term

Justice Kedambady Jagannatha Shetty Commission of Inquiry appointed to inquire into the incident of firing on farmers in Haveri in June 2008, has also been given time till the end of March to complete inquiry.

The panel was set up by the State Government after a farmers’ agitation led to violence and two people died in the police firing that followed. The term of this commission too was to end on December 31.