Wife Cannot Be Made Co-Accused Solely for Residing with Husband Involved in Crime; Stronger Evidence Required Under Section 319 CrPC: Karnataka High Court

In a recent ruling, the Karnataka High Court has clarified the scope of Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, which allows a court to summon an additional person as an accused during the course of a trial. The court held that this provision cannot be exercised at a pre-trial stage. The decision came after the complainant, R K Bhat, sought to implead Shanthi Roache—the wife of the primary…