Belagavi, February 3, 2026: In a landmark judgment, the Additional 10th District and Sessions Court in Belagavi has sentenced 12 accused to five years of rigorous imprisonment in the infamous Vantamuri case where a woman was stripped, tied to an electric pole, and brutally assaulted.

Judge H.S. Manjunath convicted Basappa, Raju, Kempanna, Parvati, Yallavva, Lakkappa, Gangavva, Sangeeta, Santosh, Shobha, Lakkavva, and Shivappa Vannur under relevant sections of law. As the sentence was pronounced, the convicts and their family members broke down in tears in the courtroom.

The horrific incident took place on December 11, 2023, in Vantamuri village. A young couple in love had eloped, enraging the woman’s family members. In retaliation, they targeted the young man’s mother, stripped her naked, tied her to an electric pole, and assaulted her mercilessly. They also vandalised the family’s house.

Videos of the woman being humiliated went viral on social media, triggering nationwide outrage and widespread condemnation. Following the backlash, the couple later solemnised their marriage at the South Sub-Registrar’s office in Belagavi city.