Court acquits all 56 accused in 12-year-old signboard controversy

Belagavi: A local court has acquitted all 56 accused in the long-pending Yellur signboard controversy case, bringing closure to an incident that triggered tension across the state 12 years ago.The case dates back to July 27, 2014, when a boundary signboard in Yellur village allegedly bore the inscription "Yellur, Maharashtra State." The display sparked outrage among Kannada activists, who entered the village and removed the signboard. This led to resistance from those who had installed it, resulting in clashes, physical altercations and incidents of stone-pelting. Police had to resort to a lathi charge to bring the situation under control.Following the incident, police registered seven cases against 56 accused. Over the years, courts acquitted the accused in five of these cases.In its latest judgment delivered on Wednesday, the court acquitted the accused in the remaining two cases as well, effectively clearing all those named in the matter. Three of the accused have since died during the course of the prolonged legal proceedings.Advocates Shyamsundar Pattar, Shyam Patil and Hemaraj Benchanavar represented the accused in the case.