High court stays proceedings against Ashutosh Hegde in road rage case

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday granted interim relief to Anant Kumar Hegde’s son Ashutosh Hegde by staying further proceedings against him in a road rage case linked to an alleged overtake dispute.

The order was passed by a single-judge bench of Justice S. Sunil Dutt Yadav while hearing an interim application filed by Ashutosh seeking quashing of the charges against him. The court observed that, prima facie, there were no specific allegations constituting an offence against the fourth accused, Ashutosh Hegde.

The bench clarified that the interim stay would be limited only to the fourth accused and would not apply to the other accused in the case. The matter has been adjourned, and further proceedings against Ashutosh have been halted until the next hearing.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner argued that Ashutosh’s name does not figure in the FIR or the charge sheet. It was submitted that he had come to India to visit his grandfather and was travelling in his father’s official vehicle at the time of the incident. The counsel maintained that he had no direct role in the alleged offence.

On the other hand, the state’s additional government advocate pointed out that Ashutosh was not originally made a party to the petition. He submitted that the court could consider the plea if an appropriate amendment or a separate petition is filed.

According to the complaint, the incident took place near Hale Nijagal in Tumakuru district. A group of seven persons from the Muslim community were travelling in an Innova car after attending a wedding when another vehicle allegedly approached them at high speed and forced them to stop.

The complainant, Saif Khan, a resident of Halenahalli, alleged that soon after stopping the vehicle, he and others were assaulted. He claimed that one of the victims, Salman Khan, suffered injuries including the loss of three teeth in the attack.

The complaint further alleged that Anant Kumar Hegde was present in the car and that others joined the assault after he called them. It was also alleged that a security personnel threatened the victims with a pistol.

Based on the complaint, Dabaspete police had registered a case against Anant Kumar Hegde, his security staff and the driver under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).