- 1 - HC-KAR CNR: KAHC010381052026 NC: 2026:KHC:37806 CRL.P No. 8000 of 2026 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 22ND DAY OF JULY, 2026 BEFORE THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE S VISHWAJITH SHETTY CRIMINAL PETITION NO. 8000 OF 2026 BETWEEN: RANJITH KUMAR T.R. @ RANJITH, S/O RAMU R AGED ABOUT 22 YEARS R/AT THIRUMANAHALLI VILLAGE MULBAGAL TALUK KOLAR DISTRICT - 563 131 …PETITIONER (BY SRI. GIREESHA R.J., ADVOCATE) AND: STATE OF KARNATAKA (MULBAGAL TOWN POLICE STATION) BENGALURU - 560 009 REP. BY REPRESENTED BY SPP HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA BANGALORE - 560 001 COURT, BENGALURU …RESPONDENT (BY SRI. RANGASWAMY R., HCGP) THIS CRL.P IS FILED U/S.439 (FILED U/S.483 BNSS) CR.P.C PRAYING TO ALLOW THE PRESENT CRIMINAL PETITION FILED UNDER SEC.483 OF BNS 2023 ENLARGE THE PETITIONER/ACCUSED NO.1 ON REGULAR BAIL IN CRIME NO.123/2024 OF MULBAGAL POLICE STATION, KOLAR DISTRICT ARISING OUT OF S.C.NO.223/2024 PENDING ON THE FILE OF THE PRINCIPAL DISTRICT AND SESSIONS JUDGE, KOLAR, REGISTERED FOR THE OFFENCE P/U/S 189(2), 103(1), Digitally signed by NANDINI M S Location: HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA - 2 - HC-KAR CNR: KAHC010381052026 NC: 2026:KHC:37806 CRL.P No. 8000 of 2026 109(1), 329(4), 61(2)(A), 238 AND 54 R/W SEC.190 OF BNS 2023. THIS CRL.P, COMING ON FOR ORDERS, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER: CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE S VISHWAJITH SHETTY ORAL ORDER 1. Accused no.1 in S.C.No.223/2024 pending before the Court of Prl. District & Sessions Judge, Kolar, arising out of Crime No.123/2024 registered by Mulabagal Town Police Station, Kolar District, for the offences punishable under Sections 189(2), 103(1), 109(1), 329(4), 61(2)(a), 238, 54 read with 190 of BNS, 2023, is before this Court in this petition filed under Section 483 of BNSS, 2023, seeking regular bail. 2. Heard the learned Counsel for the parties. 3. FIR in Crime No.123/2024 was registered by Mulabagal Town Police Station, Kolar District, for the offences punishable under Sections 103(1), 3(5) of BNS, 2023, based on the first information dated 15.08.2024 received from Lisha.M.P., who is the daughter of deceased Divya Shree. During the course of investigation, petitioner was arrested on 19.08.2024 and remanded to judicial custody. After completing investigation, - 3 - HC-KAR CNR: KAHC010381052026 NC: 2026:KHC:37806 CRL.P No. 8000 of 2026 charge sheet is filed against nine persons and petitioner is arrayed as accused no.1 in the charge sheet. His bail application filed before the Trial Court in S.C.No.223/2024 was dismissed on 28.04.2026. Therefore, petitioner is before this Court. 4. Learned Senior Counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner, submits that petitioner is a person without any criminal antecedents and is in custody for the last nearly two years. Accused nos.7 to 9 have been granted regular bail in the present case by the Trial Court. Accused no.2 and juvenile accused nos.3 & 4 are the assailants in the present case. The allegation as against the petitioner is that he had conspired with the other accused persons to commit the murder of deceased for gain. There is no direct evidence to connect the petitioner to the crime. Accordingly, he prays to allow the petition. 5. Per contra, learned HCGP who has opposed the petition, submits that petitioner is the mastermind in the crime in question. Petitioner had planned along with other accused - 4 - HC-KAR CNR: KAHC010381052026 NC: 2026:KHC:37806 CRL.P No. 8000 of 2026 persons to commit the crime and petitioner's conversation with regard to the conspiracy with accused no.2 on 17.06.2024 has been recorded in the mobile phone. On 14.08.2024 and 15.08.2024, petitioner has called the assailants multiple times and when the assailants were committing the crime inside the house of the deceased, the petitioner was on conference call with the assailants and he was giving instructions to the assailants. He, accordingly prays to dismiss the petition. 6. Perusal of the first information would go to show that on the alleged date of incident, three persons had entered into the house of the deceased, assaulted her and committed her murder. CW-1 - Lisha who is the daughter of deceased is an eye-witness to the said incident. After CW-1 made a call to her father - CW-2, the accused persons had ran away from the spot of crime. In the charge sheet, it is alleged that accused no.1 is the master mind of the crime in question and he had conspired with the other accused persons to commit the crime for gain. 7. During the course of investigation, police have seized the mobile phone of the accused persons and it is found that on - 5 - HC-KAR CNR: KAHC010381052026 NC: 2026:KHC:37806 CRL.P No. 8000 of 2026 17.06.2024, petitioner and accused no.2 had discussed in detail about the manner in which the crime was required to be committed. This conversation is recorded in the mobile phone which has been collected during the course of investigation. 8. The material on record would go to show that the accused persons movement is found in the CCTV footage in and around the house of the deceased and the said CCTV footages are also collected in the present case. It is the specific case of the prosecution that on the alleged date of incident, petitioner was giving continuous instructions to the assailants and he was on conference call with the assailants after they had entered the house of the deceased on the evening of 14.08.2024. The call records of the petitioner would reveal that he had made 37 calls to the assailants on 14.08.2024 and 15.08.2024. These call records would reveal that during the time when the assailants were inside the house of the deceased, he was on call with accused no.2 for a period of more than one hour. After the accused were arrested, the weapons used for committing the crime were recovered. - 6 - HC-KAR CNR: KAHC010381052026 NC: 2026:KHC:37806 CRL.P No. 8000 of 2026 9. The deceased who is a married lady aged about 48 years had sustained 49 injuries on her body. Her throat was slit by accused no.2 and it is the case of the prosecution that it was accused no.1 who was giving instructions to accused no.2 and other assailants as to how the murder has to be committed. CW-1 who was in the first floor of the house when the alleged incident took place in the ground floor is an eye-witness to the incident and after seeing the accused persons assaulting her mother, she had ran to her room in the first floor and closed the doors. Only after the accused persons had left the spot of crime, she had come down and in the meanwhile, she had called her father over mobile phone and had informed about the incident. Under the circumstances, I am of the opinion that considering the role of the petitioner in the brutal murder committed for the purpose of gain, the prayer made by the petitioner for grant of regular bail cannot be entertained. Accordingly, petition is dismissed. Sd/- (S VISHWAJITH SHETTY) JUDGE KK