Daijiworld Media Network - Raichur

Raichur, Apr 9: A court in Karnataka's Raichur district on Tuesday delivered a landmark verdict in the chilling 2020 honour killing case that claimed five lives over an inter-caste marriage.

The Third Additional District and Sessions Court in Sindhanur sentenced three convicts to death and awarded life imprisonment to nine others involved in the gruesome crime.

The court handed the death sentence to the girl’s father, Sannafakeerappa, and relatives Ammanna and Somashekar, along with a fine of Rs 47,000 each. The remaining nine convicts were sentenced to life and fined Rs 97,500 each.

The victims Erappa (65), his wife Sumitramma (55), and their children Nagaraj (38), Sridevi (36), and Hanumesh (35) were brutally murdered on July 11, 2020, in Sukalpet, Sindhanur. The horrifying incident unfolded on a public road after the assailants dragged the victims from their home and attacked them with deadly weapons. Two others, including Erappa’s daughter-in-law Revathi and his elderly mother Tayamma, sustained critical injuries in the assault.

The massacre stemmed from the inter-caste marriage of Manjula, Sannafakeerappa’s daughter, who had married Mounesh of the victim’s family, defying her family’s opposition. The couple had chosen to live separately but paid a heavy price when Manjula’s family allegedly followed through on threats of violence.

Prior to the killings, the couple had sought police protection, fearing an attack. Their worst fears came true when Manjula’s relatives allegedly stormed Mounesh’s house, picked a quarrel with his family, and launched the fatal assault. Four accused were arrested at the crime scene on the day of the incident.

Manjula and Mounesh survived the attack and remain under police protection. The court’s judgment has been hailed as a major step in delivering justice in one of Karnataka’s most shocking honour killing cases in recent years.