SUNANDA N. G. Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioners/accused Nos.1 and 2 are before this Court calling in question proceedings in Spl.C.562 of 2023 registered for offences punishable under Ss. 374, 344, 504, 370 r/w 34 of IPC, under Ss. 16, 17, 18 of Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and under Sec. 3(1)(h) of the Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

(2.) Heard Sri Venkatesh Somareddi, learned counsel appearing for petitioners and Sri Thejesh P, learned High Court Government Pleader appearing for respondent No.1.

(3.) Facts in brief germane are as follows: The complainant is a Government servant - a Senior Labour Inspector. It is the case of the prosecution that the complainant visits the estate of the petitioners along with the Tahsildar, Revenue Inspector and the Village Accountant. The inspection of the estate revealed that there were 3 families staying in the estate all belonging to scheduled caste. The families are said to have been working for over 2 years in the estate. It is the further case of the prosecution that the families were made to forcibly work under difficult conditions, virtually treating them as bonded labourers. After the inspection and recording the statements of those families, a complaint comes to be registered which becomes a crime in Crime No.138 of 2023. The police, after investigation, file a charge sheet against these petitioners for the afore-quoted offences. Filing of the charge sheet is what has driven these petitioners/accused Nos.1 and 2 to this Court in the subject petition.