Bengaluru: The crowd was larger than usual Thursday inside the special court for elected representatives, located on the seventh floor of the city’s civil court complex on Dr Ambedkar Veedhi. It was anticipated that special judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat would announce the quantum of punishment to Dharwad Rural MLA Vinay Kulkarni (of Congress) and 16 others, held guilty by judge Bhat Wednesday in a murder case.As the special public prosecutors for Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and counsel for the convicted persons made their arguments on the punishment, an unsettling news broke out: That of judge Bhat’s transfer!His new posting is that of director, Karnataka Mediation Centre, in Bengaluru. KB Shivaprasad, serving as additional district and sessions judge I, Mandya, will replace Bhat.While those in the courtroom speculated on the reasons behind Bhat’s transfer, high court officials clarified that it was part of the annual transfer of judicial officers. Judge Bhat declared he would announce the quantum of punishment in the murder case on Friday.A senior public prosecutor told TOI, “Judge Bhat served here (special court) for three years and was scheduled to be transferred. April is the month of transfers, so we have to accept it. But it is hard to digest the fact that he has been transferred. We hope to see more such judges in this special court that hears cases involving politicians, including MLAs, MPs, and ministers. Judgments and orders passed here attract more attention.“The public prosecutor added, “This special court became popular after it sentenced former MP Prajwal Revanna to life imprisonment in a rape case. One should note it was judge Bhat who passed the order, after hearing the case for two years.”Annual transfer orders Karnataka high court Thursday issued annual transfer orders of judicial officers across the state. Among them were 111 district judges, three ad hoc district judges, 115 senior civil judges, and 139 civil judges. They are required to take charge of new postings on the forenoon of June 1. M Chandrashekhar Reddy will be new registrar general of HC, while Ron Vasudev is its new registrar (judicial). CBI seeks life imprisonmentThe CBI Thursday urged the special court for elected representatives to award life imprisonment without remission (imprisonment until death) to former minister and Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and 16 others, held guilty of murdering Yogesh Goudar in Dharwad in 2016. Special public prosecutors Shivananda Perla and S Hema also requested the court for “heavy compensation” to be paid to the four children of Goudar who were minors when he was killed. “Presence of a sitting MLA among the convicts tells how the case involves influential persons. The quantum of punishment should send a message to society that law is equal for all,” they argued.
