A trial court on Tuesday acquitted nine associates of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan accused in the 2000 abduction of Kannada superstar Rajkumar, saying that the charges against them have not been adequately proved.

Mani, the third additional sessions judge of Gobichettipalayam, said the witnesses have not corroborate the prosecution case fully, nor have the charges against the nine accused proved adequately.

The court examined 47 witnesses in the sensational case.

Veerappan and 14 members of his sandalwood smuggling gang abducted Kannada star Rajkumar from his farmhouse in Dhodda Gajanure village in Tamil Nadu on July 30, 2000, at gunpoint, according to the prosecution.

The actor was in captivity for over 100 days in the jungles spread across Western Ghats abutting Thalawady near here, leading to tension in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and further straining the ties between the two states.

Veerappan released the actor after 108 days.

Veerappan himself was shot dead in an alleged encounter near Dharampuri in 2004, along with three of his men.

Rajkumar passed away two years later.

On a complaint from Rajkumar's wife, a case was registered against Veerappan and his associates under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.

The remaining nine accused were arrested and later enlarged on bail. When the judgment was pronounced, all the accused, except Puttusamy (who absented himself on health grounds), were present in the court.