Archive · 28 Nov 2025
Karnataka HC rejects insanity defence in Mangaluru murder case
A man named Alphonse Saldanha was accused of killing a married couple in a village near Mangaluru in 2020.
His lawyers said he was not responsible because he was mentally ill.
The court looked at the evidence, including statements from a psychiatrist and other witnesses.
The court decided that the evidence was not enough to prove that Alphonse was so mentally ill that he did not know what he was doing was wrong.
So, the court did not accept his defence of insanity.
The Karnataka High Court rejected the insanity defence of Alphonse Saldanha in the murder case of Vincent and Helen d’Souza.
The crime occurred in Yelinje village, Mangaluru taluk, in 2020.
Saldanha's defence argued that he was mentally ill, but the court found the evidence insufficient to prove 'unsoundness of mind'.
The court dismissed Saldanha's applications to have his medical records reviewed by a Medical Board.
Justice M I Arun presided over the case, and the decision was made on November 3, 2023.
- Who
- Alphonse Saldanha (accused), Vincent and Helen d’Souza (victims)
- What
- Karnataka High Court rejected the insanity defence in the murder case of a married couple
- When
- The crime occurred in 2020, and the court decision was made on November 3, 2023
- Where
- Yelinje village, Mangaluru taluk, Karnataka
- Why
- The court found that the evidence did not prove 'unsoundness of mind' sufficient to establish incapacity of knowing the nature of the act
- Accused
- Alphonse Saldanha
- Victims
- Vincent and Helen d’Souza
- Location of Crime
- Yelinje village, Mangaluru taluk
- Year of Crime
- 2020
- Defence Claim
- Insanity
- Court Decision Date
- November 3, 2023
- Judge
- Justice M I Arun
- Mental Healthcare Act Section
- Section 105