Coerced Into Confession, Innocent Auto Driver Wins Legal Battle in Karnataka High Court
In Short
Poojary’s ordeal began in August 2025 when a acquaintance hired his auto to visit the Gangolli Police Station.
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Karnataka High Court has cleared Sheena Poojary
UDUPI: In a significant relief to an innocent citizen, the Karnataka High Court has cleared Sheena Poojary, an autorickshaw driver from Alur village, of all criminal charges in an illegal stone quarrying case after police failed to justify his inclusion as an accused.
Poojary’s ordeal began in August 2025 when a acquaintance hired his auto to visit the Gangolli Police Station. Police officers summoned Poojary inside and asked him to sign a paper, assuring the illiterate driver that it was merely a procedural formality. Unbeknownst to him, the document was framed as a voluntary confession under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, falsely implicating him in joint illegal extraction and theft of laterite stones.
It was only after receiving court summons months later that Poojary realized he faced potential imprisonment unless he pled guilty—an option he refused out of self-respect, despite facing severe financial and family hardships caring for his Endosulfan-affected wife.
Assisted by student volunteers and legal counsel from the Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF), Udupi, Poojary challenged the proceedings. Justice Sree Nagaprasanna discharged Poojary from the case on August 6, 2026, citing a complete lack of evidence or response from the police department. HRPF President Dr. Ravindranath Shanbhogue stated that the organization is ready to support Poojary in filing a civil defamation suit against the police officials involved.
3. Regional Newspaper
Justice Prevails for Alur Auto Driver: High Court Quashes False Case Plotted by Gangolli Police
Staff Reporter
UDUPI
Sheena Poojary, an auto driver from Alur whose life was turned upside down after being duped into signing a false police document, has finally been cleared of all charges by the Karnataka High Court.
Poojary, the sole breadwinner for his family and caretaker of his illness-stricken wife, was victimized on August 24, 2025, when Gangolli police persuaded him to sign an official document without reading it to him. The document turned out to be a fabricated "voluntary statement" claiming he was involved in illegal laterite stone mining alongside another local resident.
Refusing to plead guilty to an offence he never committed, Poojary sought help from the Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF) in Udupi. Advocate N. Vivekananda presented his petition before Hon’ble Justice Sree Nagaprasanna. Seeing that the Gangolli police failed to offer any explanation across four court hearings, the High Court delivered its final verdict on August 6, 2026, striking down all charges against Poojary.
Following the order, HRPF President Dr. Ravindranath Shanbhogue advised citizens never to sign police documents blindly or attend station summons without written notice. The foundation has also offered full legal support to file a defamation suit against the police officers responsible for distressing an innocent man.
