Kambalpalli Dalit massacre: HC upholds acquittal of accused

Bangalore, Aug 21: Karnataka High Court today upheld a lower court's order acquitting all the 32 accused in the 2000 Kambalapalli Dalit carnage in Chintamani taluk of Kolar District, which had claimed seven lives.

A division bench comprising Justices K N Phanindra and Mohan Shantanagoudar, in their verdict, dismissed government's appeal against lower court's order, citing lack of evidence. All the witnesses had turned hostile in the case in which houses of Dalits were set on fire on March 11, 2000 after a person from the upper caste was murdered following an altercation between two groups.

The police had filed chargesheet against 32 in connection with burning of Dalits. A separate chargesheet was filed against Dalits in connection with murder of the man from upper caste. In December 2006, the district and sessions court in Kolar had acquitted all the accused citing lack of evidence after the witnesses turned hostile.

PTI