Fri Feb 21 15:59:36 UTC 2025: ## Mangaluru Court Sentences Four in 2015 Tribal Farmer Assault Case
**Mangaluru, February 21, 2025** – A Mangaluru court delivered its verdict in a high-profile assault case involving a tribal farmer, Sundara Malekudiya. The prime accused, Gopala Gowda, was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹1 lakh for grievously injuring Malekudiya with a weed-cutting machine in 2015. Three others – Gowda’s wife Pushpalatha, A. Damayanthi, and Vasanth Gowda – received two-year sentences and ₹15,000 fines each for their involvement. All four were also given six months of simple imprisonment for criminal intimidation, with all sentences to run concurrently.
The incident occurred in Belthangady taluk in July 2015 when the accused confronted Malekudiya and his family over weed clearing on forest land adjacent to their farmland. Gowda’s attack resulted in Malekudiya sustaining 85% disability in his right upper limb and 45% in his left.
While the court acquitted the accused of attempted murder charges, Judge H.S. Mallikarjuna Swamy acknowledged the severity of the injuries inflicted. The judge stated that although the injuries were grievous, the prosecution failed to prove the intent to kill. The entire fine amount of ₹1.45 lakh will be paid to Malekudiya as compensation, and the District Legal Services Authority will consider further compensation under the victim compensation scheme.
First Piper 