Two men acquitted in Udupi canteen worker murder case

PTI, Jun 21, 2024, 8:10 PM IST

The Second Additional District and Sessions Court in Udupi has acquitted two men charged with the murder of a 52-year-old canteen worker. The verdict, delivered on Friday, cited insufficient evidence against the accused, Vignesh Kutti and Naveen Kumar.

The incident, which took place on July 21, 2022, near Udupi railway station, saw Kumar, a canteen worker, fatally beaten during an altercation. Despite forensic evidence of fresh injuries and a police report detailing a violent assault with a wooden club, the court found the evidence inadequate.

After the examination of 21 witnesses, the presiding judge, Dinesh Hegde, ruled in favour of the accused. Advocate Cherkady Akhil B Hegde, who represented the defense, successfully argued for their acquittal.