Student murder case ends in acquittal after a decade

Bringing closure to a case that once shook Karnataka politics, the Koppal District Court on Friday delivered its final verdict in the alleged murder of student Yallaling. The court acquitted all nine accused, ruling that the charges of murder were unsubstantiated.

The incident dates back to January 2015, when Yallaling, a student from Kanakapur village in Kanakagiri taluk, was found dead at Koppal Railway Station. He had earlier raised his voice against corruption in his village. Though the case was initially suspected to be a suicide, it was later registered as a murder case, triggering widespread protests and political turmoil.

The controversy forced then-Minister and Kanakagiri MLA Shivaraj Tangadagi to resign from the cabinet as one of his close associates, Congress leader Hanumesha Nayak, was among the accused. Along with him, Balnagowda, Kadamanja, Mahantesh Nayak, Manoj Patil, Nandeesh, Parashuram, Yamanurappa, and Durgappa were also charged with murder under political conspiracy allegations.

On September 24, the district court held its final hearing and has now acquitted all nine accused. The defense argued that Yallaling’s own brother had testified that it was a case of suicide, not murder. Accepting this, the court declared the accused not guilty. “The charges were politically motivated and baseless. The court has upheld the truth and acquitted my clients,” said defence lawyer Gangadhar while addressing the media.

The case was initially handed over to the CID for investigation. The accused were later released on bail, but the matter resurfaced in 2021 after controversy broke out when police personnel were spotted attending the wedding of accused Mahantesh Nayak.

For nearly a decade, the case remained in public focus, with activists demanding justice for Yallaling. Large-scale protests at the time had created a storm in state politics, eventually forcing Tangadagi out of the cabinet.

With Friday’s verdict, the court has officially brought the case to a close, ruling it as suicide and not murder. The acquittal of the accused marks the end of a politically sensitive case that had lingered in Karnataka’s judicial and political corridors for ten years.