Udupi court adjourns Nejar murder case to July 19

The trial in the high-profile Nejar multiple murder case—where Praveen Chougule stands accused of killing a mother and her three children—has been adjourned to July 19 by the Additional District and Sessions Court, Udupi, due to a delay in handing over case documents to the newly appointed defense lawyer.

In a recent development, the previous defense advocate, Dilraj Sequeira, formally withdrew from representing the accused. Following this, the District Legal Services Authority appointed advocate Raju Poojary to represent Chougule free of cost. The court had directed that all case-related documents be transferred from the former counsel to the newly appointed lawyer to ensure an uninterrupted continuation of the trial.

However, it was brought to the court’s attention that no such documents had been handed over, as the previous lawyer had not received a formal court order to do so. In response, Judge Samivulla issued an explicit directive on Friday, instructing the former counsel to immediately transfer all necessary documents to the new defense advocate.

The court also noted that the cross-examination dates for three remaining witnesses will be fixed on the next hearing, now scheduled for July 19.

The Nejaru murder case had shocked the coastal region, drawing widespread media and public attention. With procedural delays now addressed, the trial is expected to gain momentum in the upcoming sessions.