Karnataka HC orders release of Pralhad Joshi's brother, nephew in cheating case
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has directed the release of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi’s brother and nephew, who were recently arrested in a cheating case for allegedly promising an election ticket in exchange for Rs 2.5 crore.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, presiding over a single-judge bench, issued an interim order staying all proceedings against the accused. Although they were set to remain in police custody until tomorrow, the court ordered their immediate release. The court stated, “The petitioners are said to be in police custody, and custody is till tomorrow. In light of the aforesaid interim order, [they shall] be released forthwith in a manner known to law.”
The arrests followed a complaint from Sunitha Chavan, wife of former JD(S) MLA Devanand Chavan, who alleged that the accused had promised her husband a BJP ticket for the Bijapur Lok Sabha constituency, in exchange for Rs 2.5 crore. According to the complaint, the accused had claimed they could secure the ticket, leveraging the office of the Union Minister. It was further alleged that Rs 25 lakh had already changed hands before the election announcement.
In its interim observations, the court noted that the complaint was filed six months after the alleged incident. The counsel for the petitioners reportedly assured the court that they would return the amount, suggesting it was a financial dispute between the parties. Additionally, the court addressed allegations under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, observing that the alleged abuses were confined to a private setting and did not qualify as offences under s. 3(1)(r) and (s) of the Act.
The petitioners initially sought the quashing of the case registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including charges of wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal breach of trust, cheating, criminal conspiracy, and various offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
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Bengaluru woman groped, beaten, dragged on road after rejecting man’s advances
Bengaluru: A 21-year-old woman was allegedly assaulted in broad daylight in Bengaluru after she rejected repeated relationship advances from a man she had met through social media. The incident, which was captured on CCTV, took place on December 22 around 3.20 pm, NDTV reported.
According to police, the accused, identified as Naveen Kumar, had been in contact with the woman after connecting with her on Instagram earlier this year. While they initially remained in touch through calls and messages, the man reportedly began pressuring her to enter into a relationship, which she refused.
On the day of the incident, the footage shows the woman standing beside a scooty, believed to be an online ride, when the accused arrives at the spot in a car. He is seen taking her purse and checking it before moving towards her and groping her.
The man then repeatedly hits the woman on her head and back and drags her along the road. Despite the presence of two to three bystanders at the scene, no one intervened to help the victim.
The victim later approached the police and filed a complaint. Based on her statement, an FIR was registered, and Naveen Kumar was taken into custody. Police said further investigation is underway.
