Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jun 10: Padmapriya (32), wife of MLA, Raghupati Bhat, had gone missing under mysterious circumstances on June 11, 2008 from her home here. Her car was found abandoned on Kunjargiri temple road near Katpadi two days later. On June 15, her body was found hanging from the roof of a flat in New Delhi. On the 19th of that month, Bhat had filed a complaint in Manipal police station, accusing his one-time close associate, Atul Rao, of abetting Padmapriya’s suicide, and alleging that Atul had illicit relationship with his wife. The Manipal police had registered a case and had arrested Atul on June 23.

Even though cases relating to the judicial custody, police custody, bail, stay order and hospital admission of Atul have come up before different courts, the main case is being taken up on June 23 this year for the first time. On that day, the court proposes to frame charges against Atul, a second division clerk in the stores department of the local subdivision of the local zilla panchayat, who remains suspended since June 25, 2008, pending decision in the criminal case.