A Bengaluru court has sentenced eight people to life imprisonment in a 2017 murder case

A Bengaluru court has sentenced eight men to rigorous imprisonment for life for the murder of Harish, who was killed following an argument over smoking near his house during Vijayadashami celebrations in 2017.

Public Prosecutor Mahalingappa Uttura said in a press release that the 58th Additional City Civil and Sessions Court presided over by Justice Sujata M. Sambrani convicted all the accused on Thursday. They were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for life under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The convicts are Gerald Arogyaraj, James Kumar, Venkatesh, Vijay, Kiran, Vikram and two minors.

According to the statement, the incident took place within Ashok Nagar police station limits on October 1, 2017. Around 12:30 PM, Harish, who had gone out to watch the Vijayadashami procession, saw three men smoking and talking loudly outside his house. When he objected that there was smoking and harassment, an argument broke out. Harish allegedly assaulted the trio and warned them not to return.

The three later informed the other accused that Harish had assaulted them. Subsequently, a few days later, the accused allegedly decided to kill Harish and stopped him near his house. One accused allegedly attacked him with a machete, another stabbed him in the back. The others helped them. The two accused allegedly crushed his head with a stone resulting in his death.

The court also awarded additional punishments under Sections 144, 148, 149 and 341 of the IPC. A total of ₹ 3.9 lakh is to be paid to Harish’s family from the fines.

Published – 29 Aug 2026 0:36 IST