Further process will follow if Prajwal doesn't return: G Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Hours ahead of JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna's scheduled return from abroad to face the law over sexual abuse allegations, the Karnataka government on Thursday said the next course of action, such as cancellation of his passport, will follow if he fails to show up as promised.
Prajwal, facing charges of sexually abusing several women, had said in a video statement earlier this week that he will return on May 31 and appear before a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case. He has booked ticket in private flight from Munich that is scheduled to land here at 12.30 IST on Friday.
On Thursday, State Home Minister G Parameshwara said that in case Prajwal Revanna does not return to the country on May 31 as stated, further action such as cancellation of his passport will follow.
Prajwal will be arrested upon his return and the legal process will be initiated, he added.
The anticipatory bail plea moved by the 33 year-old suspended JD(S) MP in a rape case is pending before a city special court and is likely to come up for hearing on Friday. Earlier, some media outlets, including PTI, had erroneously reported that the court had dismissed his bail petition.
"The information is he (Prajwal) will come, he has booked the flight ticket. SIT has made necessary preparations. If he comes the legal process will begin," Parameshwara told reporters.
"As per law, a warrant has been issued against him, so he will have to be arrested, SIT will decide and do it."
"He himself has said in the video statement that he will appear before SIT on May 31 at 10 am, not us. So I feel that he will come... In case he doesn't, the process will follow, like cancelling his passport; we will again request the Interpol through CBI, as the state government cannot do it directly, we will have to do it through Government of India agencies," he added.
A team of SIT officials is camping at the airport here to arrest Prajwal.
Asked whether Prajwal's passport will be impounded, he said the state government has requested the Centre to cancel his passport, and depending on the legal process they might cancel.
"The External Affairs Minister has said that the process has been initiated in this regard, so they might do it," he added.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people took part in a march in Haasan, seeking justice for the victims of the alleged sexual abuse by Prajwal.
They also demanded the arrest of the accused and a fair probe into the cases.
The march was organised by a human rights collective, and was joined by civil society groups from across the state, including women, labourers, farmers, Dalits, and sexual minorities.
The march was held amid the beats of 'Tamate' (a percussion instrument) and drums.
Besides demanding the arrest of Prajwal, the participants also sought justice for the victims and expressed solidarity with them.
They also demanded for action against those behind the circulation of pen drives containing videos of the sexual assault, and urged the administration to ensure the deletion of videos which are in circulation on social media platforms.
Noted activists including former MP Subhashini Ali, writer Roopa Hassan and Vimala KS among others participated in the march.
Prajwal (33), the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and the NDA candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, is facing charges of sexually abusing women.
He reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan went to polls.
The instances of sexual abuse came to light after several pen drives allegedly containing explicit videos involving Prajwal were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls there on April 26.
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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.
