Mangaluru: Through a judgement delivered on Wednesday by the sixth additional district and sessions court acquitted 17 people accused as guilty in the murder for Hindu activist, Sukhananda Shetty on December 1, 2006.

The murder of Sukhananda Shetty from Mulky had made a furore in the state, resulting in agitation by public for the arrest of the murderers.
The acquitted are Nawaz, Naushad, Mohammed Rafique, Shakir, Mohammed Aziz, Abdul Khader Ali, Mohammed Ashraf, P K Ayyub, Fatima Zohara, Saleem, Khalandar Bajpe, Rehamath Kalandar, Aziz alias European Aziz, Nizamuddin, Mohammed alias Sada Mohammed, Afroze, and Nassir. B Narayana had argued the case on behalf of the accused.

The judge found that the prosecutor had neglected to demonstrate the charges leveled against the accused past sensible doubt.The police had recorded 23 accused for the murder. Out of them, Mulky Rafique was killed at Udupi railway station, and Bullet Sudheer alias Atik was killed in an encounter near Kundapur. Madoor Yousuf alias Isubu had been executed inside the jail here, and Kabeer was killed near Gurpur. Two others are till date absconding.

Sukhananda Shetty, who was an active activist in various Hindu associations and BJP and was rising as a leader with high authoritative capacity, was brutally assaulted with sharp weapons by a gang which arrived in a Qualis vehicle close to the Marble Trading Company at Honnakatte Kulai on December 1, 2006. Sukhananda Shetty, who was severely injured in the assault, was hurried to a private hospital but succumbed to injuries later. Suratkal police had enrolled the case and started investigation.

The then district superintendent of police, Dayananda, had framed an special group led by Dr H N Venkatesh Prasanna, to solve the case and the group succeeded in nabbing the accused including the individuals who professedly financed the crime. Akbar Kabeer from Gurpur was named as the prime accused, while Mulky Rafique was blamed for financing the murder.