{"id":94118,"date":"2010-04-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-04-25T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010"},"modified":"2015-02-02T13:08:12","modified_gmt":"2015-02-02T07:38:12","slug":"santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010","title":{"rendered":"Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"docsource_main\">Supreme Court of India<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_title\">Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_author\">Author: P Sathasivam<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_bench\">Bench: P. Sathasivam, R.M. Lodha<\/div>\n<pre>                                                         REPORTABLE\n\n            IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA\n\n           CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION\n\n           CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 479 OF 2009\n\n\nSanthosh Moolya &amp; Anr.                        .... Appellant(s)\n\n\n          Versus\n\n\nState of Karnataka                          .... Respondent(s)\n\n\n\n                      JUDGMENT\n<\/pre>\n<p>P. Sathasivam, J.\n<\/p>\n<p>1)   This appeal is filed against the final judgment and order<\/p>\n<p>dated 13.03.2008 passed by the High Court of Karnataka at<\/p>\n<p>Bangalore in Criminal Appeal No. 1498 of 2007 whereby the<\/p>\n<p>High Court dismissed the appeal filed by the appellants-<\/p>\n<p>accused affirming the conviction and sentence passed by the<\/p>\n<p>Additional District and Sessions Judge, Dakshina Kannada,<\/p>\n<p>Mangalore dated 1\/3.9.2007 in S.C. No. 13 of 2005.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                              1<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p>2)      Background facts in a nutshell are as under:<\/p>\n<p>        On 02.06.2004, two sisters (both victims of rape), who<\/p>\n<p>were working in the quarry of one Subhash Jain- PW-4, after<\/p>\n<p>completing their work, were waiting for the bus near Sampige<\/p>\n<p>of Puttige Village by the side of the road to go to their<\/p>\n<p>residence     in   Badaga    Mijaru   Village,   Ashwathapura,<\/p>\n<p>Santhakatte. At about 6.00 p.m., the appellants came there in<\/p>\n<p>an autorickshaw which was driven by Santhosh Moolya (A-1)<\/p>\n<p>and stopped the auto in front of the victims asking them to get<\/p>\n<p>into the auto as they were also going towards Ashwathapura<\/p>\n<p>side.    Surendra Gowda (A-2) was already sitting in the auto.<\/p>\n<p>Both the sisters sat by his side. It was raining at that time.<\/p>\n<p>After some time, leaving the main road, the appellant moved<\/p>\n<p>the auto towards a kutcha road. Both the victims asked them<\/p>\n<p>as to where the auto was being taken.        By that time, the<\/p>\n<p>accused stopped the auto at a lonely place and pulled both the<\/p>\n<p>victims out of the auto and after covering their mouth with<\/p>\n<p>hands, threatened to kill them if they gave rise to any<\/p>\n<p>shouting. Thereafter, both the victims were made to lie on the<\/p>\n<p>ground and their clothes were removed.       Santhosh Moolya,<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                              2<\/span><br \/>\nA-1 raped the elder sister and Surendra Gowda, A-2 raped the<\/p>\n<p>younger sister.    While leaving the place, both the accused<\/p>\n<p>threatened the victims not to inform any one about the<\/p>\n<p>incident and also allow them to do the similar act in future<\/p>\n<p>failing which they would be killed. After sometime, the victims<\/p>\n<p>managed to get up and put on their clothes and walked<\/p>\n<p>towards their house and informed the incident to their mother<\/p>\n<p>(PW-14). On the next day, they informed the incident to one<\/p>\n<p>Nonayya Gowda, PW-5 a worker of the quarry, who, in turn,<\/p>\n<p>informed Subhash Jain (PW-4), who told them to file a<\/p>\n<p>complaint but they hesitate to file the complaint.           On<\/p>\n<p>14.07.2004,   at   about   4.30   p.m.,   Yamuna   (PW-1)   gave<\/p>\n<p>statement before the Sub-Inspector of Police, Moodbiri Police<\/p>\n<p>Station and that was reduced to writing by Ithappa, P.S.I. PW-<\/p>\n<p>13 and registered as Crime No. 62\/2004 for the offence under<\/p>\n<p>Sections 376 &amp; 506 read with Section 34 of I.P.C. C.P.I. of<\/p>\n<p>Mulki, who is PW-16, investigated the case. PW-16 sent the<\/p>\n<p>victims to Medical Officer, Moodgidri for medical examination<\/p>\n<p>and on the same day at about 10 p.m., the police arrested<\/p>\n<p>both the accused persons.          On the next day, i.e. on<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                               3<\/span><br \/>\n15.07.2004, PW-16 visited the scene of offence and prepared<\/p>\n<p>the Panchnama (Ex. P2) and recorded the statements and sent<\/p>\n<p>the accused for medical examination to the Government<\/p>\n<p>Hospital and thereafter, they were produced before J.M.F.C.<\/p>\n<p>Karkala. On the same day, PW-16 seized the clothes of the<\/p>\n<p>victims and the Auto.      On 21.08.2004, PW-16 received<\/p>\n<p>certificate of two victims of sexual assault. PW-16 completed<\/p>\n<p>the investigation and filed the charge sheet on 05.09.2004.<\/p>\n<p>The III Addl. Civil Judge (Jr. Dn.) and J.M.F.C., Karkala on<\/p>\n<p>07.02.2005 took cognizance of the offence punishable under<\/p>\n<p>Sections 376 and 506 read with 34 of I.P.C. and registered the<\/p>\n<p>case in C.C. No. 537 of 2004 and committed the same to the<\/p>\n<p>Sessions Court, Mangalore as the offence alleged against the<\/p>\n<p>accused are triable by the Court of Sessions. The prosecution<\/p>\n<p>examined 16 witnesses. The trial Judge, on 01\/03.09.2007,<\/p>\n<p>passed an order convicting and sentencing both the accused<\/p>\n<p>to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of seven years<\/p>\n<p>and to pay a fine of Rs.10,000\/- and, in default, to suffer<\/p>\n<p>rigorous   imprisonment    for   three   months   for   offence<\/p>\n<p>punishable under Section 376 of I.P.C. and further held to<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                              4<\/span><br \/>\nundergo rigorous imprisonment for three months for offence<\/p>\n<p>punishable under Section 506(2) I.P.C.        Aggrieved by the<\/p>\n<p>conviction and sentence passed by the trial Court, both the<\/p>\n<p>accused preferred an appeal before the High Court.          The<\/p>\n<p>learned single Judge of the High Court, by order dated<\/p>\n<p>13.03.2008, dismissed the appeal affirming the conviction and<\/p>\n<p>sentence passed by the trial Judge.       Hence, the appellants<\/p>\n<p>have filed this appeal by way of special leave.<\/p>\n<p>3)   We have heard Mr. Vijay Kumar, learned amicus curiae<\/p>\n<p>appearing for the appellants-accused and Mr. Sanjay R.<\/p>\n<p>Hegde, learned counsel appearing for the State.<\/p>\n<p>4) Contentions:\n<\/p>\n<p>     Learned amicus curiae, after taking us through the<\/p>\n<p>materials placed by the prosecution and the decision of the<\/p>\n<p>trial Judge as well as of the High Court, submitted that in view<\/p>\n<p>of inordinate delay in lodging complaint i.e. FIR was registered<\/p>\n<p>after 42 days of alleged incident, in the absence of proper<\/p>\n<p>explanation, the conviction and sentence cannot be sustained.<\/p>\n<p>He further submitted that in view of the contradiction in the<\/p>\n<p>evidence of PWs 1 and 2, it is not safe to rely on their<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                               5<\/span><br \/>\ntestimony and convict the accused. Finally, he submitted that<\/p>\n<p>the evidence of doctors i.e., PWs 7 and 8 does not support the<\/p>\n<p>claim of PWs 1 and 2\/alleged victims, in that event, it would<\/p>\n<p>not be proper to convict the accused under Section 376 IPC.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, learned counsel appearing for the State<\/p>\n<p>submitted that taking note of the evidence of victims PWs 1<\/p>\n<p>and 2 and the acceptable explanation offered by them for the<\/p>\n<p>delay     in   lodging    complaint   as   well   as   their   family<\/p>\n<p>circumstances and of the fact that they received threat from<\/p>\n<p>the     accused,   they   did   not   make   a    formal   complaint<\/p>\n<p>immediately after the incident. According to him, inasmuch<\/p>\n<p>as the delay was properly explained by the prosecution, the<\/p>\n<p>courts below are justified in convicting and sentencing the<\/p>\n<p>accused for offence under Section 376. He further pointed out<\/p>\n<p>the alleged contradictions are rather negligible or minimal. He<\/p>\n<p>further pointed out that in view of the assertion of the victims<\/p>\n<p>PWs 1 and 2, the prosecution claim cannot be thrown out.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, since both the Courts have accepted the<\/p>\n<p>case of prosecution, there is no valid ground for interference<\/p>\n<p>by this Court.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                                    6<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p>5)   Discussion on merits:\n<\/p>\n<p>     The victims are sisters and both of them explained how<\/p>\n<p>they suffered at the hands of the accused. PW 1 is the elder<\/p>\n<p>sister. In her evidence, she has deposed that on 02.06.2004<\/p>\n<p>she and her younger sister PW 2 after completing their work<\/p>\n<p>were waiting near the bus stop at Sampige in order to go to<\/p>\n<p>their place at Ashwathapura. The second accused &#8211; A-2 came<\/p>\n<p>in an auto-rickshaw which was driven by A1. She explained<\/p>\n<p>that they know both the accused since they were also doing<\/p>\n<p>quarry work under their employer.        According to PW 1,<\/p>\n<p>Santhosh Moolya &#8211; A-1 asked them to get into the auto<\/p>\n<p>because they were also going to their place i.e. Ashwathapura.<\/p>\n<p>Believing his statement, PW 1 and her sister PW 2 entered the<\/p>\n<p>autorickshaw and A-2 seated next to them.         She further<\/p>\n<p>explained that after traveling sometime in the main road auto<\/p>\n<p>went off in a kutcha road and it was stopped after some<\/p>\n<p>distance. It was drizzling at that time. She further added that<\/p>\n<p>A-1 pulled her out of the auto and A-2 pulled her sister. Both<\/p>\n<p>of them were prevented from raising their voice since the<\/p>\n<p>accused covered their mouth and forced both of them to lie<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                              7<\/span><br \/>\ndown on the ground. By threat, they made both PWs 1 and 2<\/p>\n<p>to lie on the ground and removed their clothes and they were<\/p>\n<p>made naked. She narrated that thereafter, A1 had a forcible<\/p>\n<p>intercourse with her and A2 with her sister PW 2.<\/p>\n<p>6)   While     narrating   what   had   happened   after   forcible<\/p>\n<p>intercourse by A1 and A2, PW1 explained that both she and<\/p>\n<p>her sister tried to escape from the clutches of the two accused<\/p>\n<p>but they could not succeed since there was no one to help<\/p>\n<p>them and added to it both the accused threatened that if they<\/p>\n<p>inform the incident to anyone they would kill them.         PW 1<\/p>\n<p>further explained that she and her sister had injuries on their<\/p>\n<p>body and also in their private parts. Their clothes were torn<\/p>\n<p>and with great difficulty on reaching home, they informed their<\/p>\n<p>mother about the incident.        In the same way, PW 2 also<\/p>\n<p>explained and narrated how she suffered and raped at the<\/p>\n<p>hands of A2.\n<\/p>\n<p>7)   It is further seen from the evidence of PWs 1 and 2 that<\/p>\n<p>on reaching their home, apart from informing their mother,<\/p>\n<p>they also informed about the incident to one Nonayya Gowda<\/p>\n<p>PW5 who, in turn, informed their owner Subhash Jain PW 4.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                                  8<\/span><br \/>\nPW 1 explained that though PW 4 asked them to make a<\/p>\n<p>complaint, because of the threat posed by A-1 and A-2 and out<\/p>\n<p>of fear they did not inform the incident to the police and after<\/p>\n<p>gaining confidence and courage, finally a complaint (Ex. P1)<\/p>\n<p>was lodged with the police on 14.07.2004. Though there was<\/p>\n<p>a delay of 42 days in lodging complaint to the police, PWs 1<\/p>\n<p>and 2, in their evidence, explained that all their family<\/p>\n<p>members including themselves are uneducated, no male<\/p>\n<p>members in their family for their assistance and they settled in<\/p>\n<p>the present village to eke out their livelihood. Admittedly, on<\/p>\n<p>the date of the incident, they were working in quarry owned by<\/p>\n<p>PW 4 and while returning from their workplace by force A-1<\/p>\n<p>and A-2 committed rape of PWs 1 and 2. The mother of PWs 1<\/p>\n<p>and 2 was examined as PW 14.        She also corroborated the<\/p>\n<p>assertion of PWs 1 and 2 about their illiteracy and fear due to<\/p>\n<p>the threat call of A1 and A2.     In those circumstances, the<\/p>\n<p>evidence of PWs 1 and 2 and their complaint Ex.P1 cannot be<\/p>\n<p>rejected as unacceptable. In a case of rape, particularly, the<\/p>\n<p>victims are illiterate, uneducated, their statements have to be<\/p>\n<p>accepted in toto without further corroboration.    In State of<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                               9<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/doc\/1046545\/\">Punjab vs. Gurmit Singh and Others,<\/a> (1996) 2 SCC 384<\/p>\n<p>speaking for the Bench Dr. A.S. Anand, J. (as His Lordship<\/p>\n<p>then was) has observed thus:\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>     &#8220;&#8230; &#8230;. The courts must, while evaluating evidence,<br \/>\n     remain alive to the fact that in a case of rape, no self-<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>     respecting woman would come forward in a court just to<br \/>\n     make a humiliating statement against her honour such<br \/>\n     as is involved in the commission of rape on her. In cases<br \/>\n     involving sexual molestation, supposed considerations<br \/>\n     which have no material effect on the veracity of the<br \/>\n     prosecution case or even discrepancies in the statement<br \/>\n     of the prosecutrix should not, unless the discrepancies<br \/>\n     are such which are of fatal nature, be allowed to throw<br \/>\n     out an otherwise reliable prosecution case. The inherent<br \/>\n     bashfulness of the females and the tendency to conceal<br \/>\n     outrage of sexual aggression are factors which the<br \/>\n     courts should not overlook. The testimony of the victim<br \/>\n     in such cases is vital and unless there are compelling<br \/>\n     reasons which necessitate looking for corroboration of<br \/>\n     her statement, the courts should find no difficulty to act<br \/>\n     on the testimony of a victim of sexual assault alone to<br \/>\n     convict an accused where her testimony inspires<br \/>\n     confidence and is found to be reliable. Seeking<br \/>\n     corroboration of her statement before relying upon the<br \/>\n     same, as a rule, in such cases amounts to adding insult<br \/>\n     to injury. Why should the evidence of a girl or a woman<br \/>\n     who complains of rape or sexual molestation, be viewed<br \/>\n     with doubt, disbelief or suspicion? The court while<br \/>\n     appreciating the evidence of a prosecutrix may look for<br \/>\n     some assurance of her statement to satisfy its judicial<br \/>\n     conscience, since she is a witness who is interested in<br \/>\n     the outcome of the charge levelled by her, but there is<br \/>\n     no requirement of law to insist upon corroboration of<br \/>\n     her statement to base conviction of an accused. The<br \/>\n     evidence of a victim of sexual assault stands almost on<br \/>\n     a par with the evidence of an injured witness and to an<br \/>\n     extent is even more reliable. Just as a witness who has<br \/>\n     sustained some injury in the occurrence, which is not<br \/>\n     found to be self-inflicted, is considered to be a good<br \/>\n     witness in the sense that he is least likely to shield the<br \/>\n     real culprit, the evidence of a victim of a sexual offence<br \/>\n     is entitled to great weight, absence of corroboration<br \/>\n     notwithstanding. Corroborative evidence is not an<br \/>\n     imperative component of judicial credence in every case<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                                  10<\/span><br \/>\n     of rape. Corroboration as a condition for judicial<br \/>\n     reliance on the testimony of the prosecutrix is not a<br \/>\n     requirement of law but a guidance of prudence under<br \/>\n     given circumstances. It must not be overlooked that a<br \/>\n     woman or a girl subjected to sexual assault is not an<br \/>\n     accomplice to the crime but is a victim of another<br \/>\n     person&#8217;s lust and it is improper and undesirable to test<br \/>\n     her evidence with a certain amount of suspicion,<br \/>\n     treating her as if she were an accomplice. Inferences<br \/>\n     have to be drawn from a given set of facts and<br \/>\n     circumstances with realistic diversity and not dead<br \/>\n     uniformity lest that type of rigidity in the shape of rule<br \/>\n     of law is introduced through a new form of testimonial<br \/>\n     tyranny making justice a casualty. Courts cannot cling<br \/>\n     to a fossil formula and insist upon corroboration even if,<br \/>\n     taken as a whole, the case spoken of by the victim of sex<br \/>\n     crime strikes the judicial mind as probable. &#8230; &#8230;. &#8221;<\/p>\n<p>8)   Any statement of rape is an extremely humiliating<\/p>\n<p>experience for a woman and until she is a victim of sex crime,<\/p>\n<p>she would not blame anyone but the real culprit.              While<\/p>\n<p>appreciating the evidence of the prosecutrix, the Courts must<\/p>\n<p>always keep in mind that no self-respecting woman would put<\/p>\n<p>her honour at stake by falsely alleging commission of rape on<\/p>\n<p>her and, therefore, ordinarily a look for corroboration of her<\/p>\n<p>testimony is unnecessary and uncalled for. [Vide Rajinder @<\/p>\n<p>Raju vs. Sate of H.P., JT 2009 (9) SC 9]<\/p>\n<p>9)   In Sohan Singh and Another vs. State of Bihar, (2010)<\/p>\n<p>1 SCC 68, this Court has observed as under:\n<\/p>\n<p>     &#8220;When FIR by a Hindu lady is to be lodged with regard to<br \/>\n     commission of offence like rape, many questions would<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                                  11<\/span><br \/>\n      obviously crop up for consideration before one finally decides<br \/>\n      to lodge the FIR. It is difficult to appreciate the plight of the<br \/>\n      victim who has been criminally assaulted in such a manner.<br \/>\n      Obviously, the prosecutrix must have also gone through<br \/>\n      great turmoil and only after giving it a serious thought, must<br \/>\n      have decided to lodge the FIR.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>10)   From the evidence of PW 1, PW 2, owner of the quarry<\/p>\n<p>PW 4 and mother of the victim PW-14, we are satisfied that<\/p>\n<p>though there was a delay of 42 days in lodging the complaint,<\/p>\n<p>the same was properly explained by the victims and the other<\/p>\n<p>witnesses. In addition to the same, we have also noticed that<\/p>\n<p>except the victims, no male member is available in their family<\/p>\n<p>to help them.       In fact they came to the village where the<\/p>\n<p>incident occurred to eke out their livelihood. Further, PWs 1<\/p>\n<p>and 2 asserted that after committing rape A-1 and A-2<\/p>\n<p>threatened that they would kill them if they inform anyone.<\/p>\n<p>All these material aspects were duly considered by the trial<\/p>\n<p>Court and accepted by the High Court. We concur with the<\/p>\n<p>same.\n<\/p>\n<p>11)   Coming to the discrepancies in the evidence of PWs 1 and<\/p>\n<p>2, as rightly pointed out by the prosecution and accepted by<\/p>\n<p>both the Courts below, they are negligible in nature and it had<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                                          12<\/span><br \/>\nnot affected their grievance, hence we reject the said<\/p>\n<p>contention also.\n<\/p>\n<p>12)   It was argued that the doctors PWs 7 and 8 did not notice<\/p>\n<p>any injury on the private part of PWs 1 and 2. It is relevant to<\/p>\n<p>note that due to threat from A1 and A2, coupled with illiteracy<\/p>\n<p>and poverty, the two victims were not taken to the doctor<\/p>\n<p>immediately after the incident but they were taken after a<\/p>\n<p>month and 14 days.        In such circumstances, as rightly<\/p>\n<p>observed by the trial Court and the High Court, it is unlikely<\/p>\n<p>that any sign of sexual intercourse will be feasible by<\/p>\n<p>examining the private part of the victims. Added to it, PW 1<\/p>\n<p>happens to be a married woman and having children which<\/p>\n<p>indicates that she is accustomed to sexual intercourse and in<\/p>\n<p>view of the same, it would be difficult to expect the doctor, who<\/p>\n<p>examined after quite sometime, to indicate the sign of sexual<\/p>\n<p>intercourse.   The plea that no marks of injuries were found<\/p>\n<p>either on the person of the accused or the person of the<\/p>\n<p>prosecutrix does not lead to any inference that the accused<\/p>\n<p>has   not   committed   forcible   sexual   intercourse   on   the<\/p>\n<p>prosecutrix.    As observed earlier, there is no reason to<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                                13<\/span><br \/>\ndisbelieve the statement of the victims PWs 1 and 2. On the<\/p>\n<p>other hand, their oral testimony which is found to be cogent,<\/p>\n<p>reliable, convincing and trustworthy has to be accepted.<\/p>\n<p>Further, both the Courts have rightly accepted the statement<\/p>\n<p>of prosecutrix.\n<\/p>\n<p>13)   In the light of the above discussion, we are in agreement<\/p>\n<p>with the conclusion arrived at by the trial Court as well as the<\/p>\n<p>High Court. Consequently, we dismiss the appeal as devoid of<\/p>\n<p>any merit.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>                              &#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;J.<br \/>\n                     (P. SATHASIVAM)<\/p>\n<p>                                  &#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.J.<br \/>\n                                   (R.M. LODHA)<br \/>\nNEW DELHI;\n<\/p>\n<p>APRIL 26, 2010<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">                                                                            14<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court of India Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010 Author: P Sathasivam Bench: P. Sathasivam, R.M. Lodha REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 479 OF 2009 Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr. &#8230;. Appellant(s) Versus State of Karnataka &#8230;. Respondent(s) JUDGMENT P. Sathasivam, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-supreme-court-of-india"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalindiaCom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-04-25T18:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-02-02T07:38:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Legal India Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@legaliadmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Legal_india\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Legal India Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Legal India Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea\"},\"headline\":\"Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-04-25T18:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-02-02T07:38:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010\"},\"wordCount\":2868,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Supreme Court of India\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010\",\"name\":\"Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-04-25T18:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-02-02T07:38:12+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/\",\"name\":\"Free Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India\",\"description\":\"Search and read the latest judgements, orders, and rulings from the Supreme Court of India and all High Courts. A comprehensive database for lawyers, advocates, and law students.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Free judgements of Supreme Court & High Court of India | Legal India\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India\",\"alternateName\":\"Legal India\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/legal-india-icon.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/5\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/legal-india-icon.jpg\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/LegalindiaCom\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/Legal_india\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea\",\"name\":\"Legal India Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Legal India Admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/legaliadmin\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.legalindia.com\\\/judgments\\\/author\\\/legal-india-admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","og_url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010","og_site_name":"Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalindiaCom\/","article_published_time":"2010-04-25T18:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-02-02T07:38:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":512,"height":512,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Legal India Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@legaliadmin","twitter_site":"@Legal_india","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Legal India Admin","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010"},"author":{"name":"Legal India Admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/person\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea"},"headline":"Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010","datePublished":"2010-04-25T18:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2015-02-02T07:38:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010"},"wordCount":2868,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Supreme Court of India"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010","name":"Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#website"},"datePublished":"2010-04-25T18:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2015-02-02T07:38:12+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/santhosh-moolya-anr-vs-state-of-karnataka-on-26-april-2010#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Santhosh Moolya &amp; Anr vs State Of Karnataka on 26 April, 2010"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/","name":"Free Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India","description":"Search and read the latest judgements, orders, and rulings from the Supreme Court of India and all High Courts. A comprehensive database for lawyers, advocates, and law students.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Free judgements of Supreme Court & High Court of India | Legal India","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#organization","name":"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India","alternateName":"Legal India","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/09\/legal-india-icon.jpg","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Judgements of Supreme Court & High Court | Legal India"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalindiaCom\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Legal_india"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/#\/schema\/person\/0bfdffe9059fb8bb24a86d094609c5ea","name":"Legal India Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4faa9d728ed1af3b73d52225c7f12901ac726fe6f7ea0a3348a1d51f3a930987?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Legal India Admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.legalindia.com","https:\/\/x.com\/legaliadmin"],"url":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/author\/legal-india-admin"}]}},"modified_by":null,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94118\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}