Karnataka HC reserves order on SIT plea to cancel H D Revanna's bail in abduction case
Bengaluru, Aug 1: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) seeking cancellation of bail granted to Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Revanna, who is accused of abducting a woman.
According to police, the woman was allegedly kidnapped to prevent her from testifying against the MLA's son and former MP Prajwal Revanna, who has been charged with raping her.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, who heard the SIT's plea, noted the severity of the allegations against Prajwal Revanna, stating that the facts of the case were particularly "gory" and that bail should not have been granted by the Special MP/MLA court.
Senior Advocate Ravivarma Kumar, representing the SIT, presented the case details, arguing that the nature of the charges warranted the cancellation of bail. He maintained that the trial court's decision to grant bail was incorrect and needed to be revoked.
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Senior Advocate C V Nagesh, representing H D Revanna, contended that the prosecution was not only seeking the cancellation of bail but also challenging the order that granted bail. He argued that the kidnapping charge was unsustainable as the victim was not a minor, and the abduction charge "lacked the necessary elements of deceit."
"She was a maidservant in the house. She was called. There was no deceit, no threat...no detention," he said.
Nagesh also claimed that there was no indication that the domestic help, who was the victim, was abducted at the behest of H D Revanna or his wife Bhavani Revanna.
After hearing both sides, the court reserved its order.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
