SIT files chargesheet in Prajwal Revanna rape victim kidnap case
Bengaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police has filed its first chargesheet in the case involving the former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna naming his parents and six others. The charges relate to the alleged kidnapping of a sexual assault victim, who was employed as a domestic worker in the Revanna household.
The chargesheet, submitted in a special court for elected representatives, details the involvement of Prajwal Revanna's parents, H D Revanna and Bhavani Revanna, along with six associates in the kidnapping incident. The victim was allegedly taken away to prevent her from filing a police complaint after being identified in explicit videos linked to Prajwal Revanna.
The SIT has also registered three cases of sexual assault and one of sexual harassment against Prajwal Revanna, based on evidence from the videos and testimonies from traced victims. The chargesheet in the kidnap case was expedited due to the legal requirement to file within 60 days of the first arrest. H D Revanna was granted bail, while Bhavani Revanna secured anticipatory bail. However, the other six accused remain in custody.
Prajwal Revanna was arrested upon returning to India on May 31, 2024, after the videos emerged publicly during the April 26 Lok Sabha polls. The investigation is ongoing, with the SIT expected to file additional chargesheets by the end of August.
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Supreme Court rejects plea for reverting to ballots in elections
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking to revert to ballot paper voting in elections in the country.
"What happens is, when you win the election, EVMs (electronic voting machine) are not tampered. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered (with)," remarked a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale.
Apart from ballot paper voting, the plea sought several directions including a directive to the Election Commission to disqualify candidates for a minimum of five years if found guilty of distributing money, liquor or other material inducement to the voters during polls.
When petitioner-in-person K A Paul said he filed the PIL, the bench said, "You have interesting PILs. How do you get these brilliant ideas?".
The petitioner said he is the president of an organisation which has rescued over three lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows.
"Why are you getting into this political arena? Your area of work is very different," the bench retorted.
After Paul revealed he had been to over 150 countries, the bench asked him whether each of the nations had ballot paper voting or used electronic voting.
The petitioner said foreign countries had adopted ballot paper voting and India should follow suit.
"Why you don't want to be different from the rest of the world?" asked the bench.
There was corruption and this year (2024) in June, the Election Commission announced they had seized Rs 9,000 crore, Paul responded.
"But how does that make your relief which you are claiming here relevant?" asked the bench, adding "if you shift back to physical ballot, will there be no corruption?".
Paul claimed CEO and co-founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, stated that EVMs could be tampered with and added TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the current chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, and former state chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had claimed EVMs could be tampered with.
"When Chandrababu Naidu lost, he said EVMs can be tampered with. Now this time, Jagan Mohan Reddy lost, he said EVMs can be tampered with," noted the bench.
When the petitioner said everybody knew money was distributed in elections, the bench remarked, "We never received any money for any elections."
The petitioner said another prayer in his plea was the formulation of a comprehensive framework to regulate the use of money and liquor during election campaigns and ensuring such practices were prohibited and punishable under the law.
The plea further sought a direction to mandate an extensive voter education campaign to raise awareness and importance of informed decision making.
"Today, 32 per cent educated people are not casting their votes. What a tragedy. If democracy will be dying like this and we will not be able to do anything then what will happen in the years to come in future," the petitioner said.
