SC gives life term to two for murder over tamarind plucking

It took nearly two decades for a final outcome in a case of murder over plucking of tamarind in Karnataka with the Supreme Court awarding life imprisonment to two men.
Families of two brothers had been quarreling "every now and then" over property and plucking of tamarind that led to the murder of the elder sibling's son in 1998.
The trial court in Karnataka's Shimoga district had acquitted four members of one of the families in 1999 due to lack of evidence after which the police had filed an appeal in the high court.
In February 2006, the high court convicted three of them on the charge of murder and awarded life term to them while proceedings against the fourth accused were abated owing to his death.

The high court's verdict was challenged in 2006 by the three convicts in the Supreme Court which upheld the jail term and abated the proceedings against one of them as he died during adjudication of the case.
A bench of Justices N V Ramana and P C Pant directed M G Shivaraj and H Shivappa, who were out on bail, to surrender forthwith before the trial court to undergo the jail term.

The apex court noted that prior to the incident in March 1998, the families had a dispute over plucking of tamarind and the issue had calmed down after the intervention of neighbours.

Later, victim Basavaraj was attacked by his uncle and three others when he and his sister were returning home. He succumbed to the injuries while undergoing treatment.
The victim's father had lodged a case against his younger brother and three others after which a charge sheet was filed against them in the trial court.
While upholding the high court's judgement, the apex court said, "We find no force in this appeal which is liable to be dismissed.