CM Siddaramaiah writes again to PM Modi seeking cancellation of Prajwal Revanna's passport
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written a second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to take "prompt and necessary" actions to cancel the diplomatic passport of Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexually abusing women.
He said that it is "disheartening" that his previous letter on the issue had not been acted-upon, despite the gravity of the situation.
The chief minister earlier on May 1 had written to Modi urging him to move the Ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs to take swift action to cancel the diplomatic passport of Prajwal.
Recently, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the state government to probe the serial sex abuse charges against the MP, had also written to the Ministry of External Affairs to cancel his diplomatic passport, on the basis of an arrest warrant issued against him by the court.
"I write to you once again to draw attention to the grave series of incidents that Prajwal Revanna has been accused of committing. These incidents have not only shocked the conscience of the people of the State of Karnataka but have also caused a nationwide concern," Siddaramaiah said in his letter to the PM dated May 22.
He said, "It is shameful that Prajwal Revanna, a Member of Parliament from Hassan constituency, who is also contesting for re-election in the present general elections, and who is the grandson of a former Prime Minister, fled the country, the 27th of April, 2024 to Germany using his diplomatic passport bearing number D1135500 shortly after news of his heinous actions emerged and just a few hours before the first FIR was filed against him."
Accusing Prajwal of abusing his diplomatic privileges to flee the country and to escape criminal proceedings, the CM further said, the Government of Karnataka has taken prompt actions to meet the ends of justice by setting up a SIT for investigation of the matter.
The SIT is investigating the alleged crimes of Prajwal Revanna against women and is making efforts to secure the presence of the accused in order to face the criminal charges, he said.
"It is a matter of serious concern that the accused Prajwal Revanna has managed to remain in hiding to this day despite the issue of a Look Out Circular, a Blue Corner Notice and two notices by the Investigating Officer under section 41A CrPC.
"The FIR against Prajwal Revanna contains charges in the nature of rape, sexual assault, disrobing women and forcibly video-graphing sexual acts in order to threaten the victims," he noted.
Needless to emphasise that such abuse of privileges and deliberate acts of non-cooperation with the legal proceedings deserves serious action by the Central Government or its instrumentalities so as to secure the presence of the accused to face investigation and trial, Siddaramaiah said, "It is disheartening that my previous letter raising similar concerns on the issue has not, to the best of my knowledge, been acted -upon despite the gravity of the situation."
"Therefore, I urge you to kindly consider this matter with utmost seriousness and take prompt and necessary actions to cancel the diplomatic passport of Prajwal Revanna, under Section 10(3)(h) of the Passport Act, 1967 or under any other relevant law and secure his return to the country in the interest of public," he added.
The 33-year-old Prajwal, who is the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and is the NDA's candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women.
Prajwal reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan went to polls, and is still at large. A 'Blue Corner Notice' seeking information on his whereabouts has already been issued by the Interpol, following a request by the SIT via the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A Special Court for Elected Representatives had issued an arrest warrant against Prajwal Revanna, following an application moved by the SIT.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday had said there is no response yet from the Centre, regarding the request seeking cancellation of the diplomatic passport of Prajwal.
"Still nothing has come (from Centre). The Centre should also help us. That's what we are urging. There is no meaning in only criticising, within the framework of law, the Centre should also help us," Parameshwara said.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
