Karnataka HC reserves verdict on Prajwal Revanna''s bail plea in sexual assault case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on the bail plea of former Janata Dal (S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who faces allegations of sexual assault and rape.
A single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna earlier heard arguments on Revanna's application in the first case and two anticipatory bail pleas related to subsequent complaints.
During the hearing, the court directed the advocates to avoid mentioning the victims' names and, instead, point out specific details in the case documents.
Senior Advocate Prabhuling K Navadgi, appearing for Revanna, outlined the timeline of events, emphasising that the woman, who had previously complained about being illegally removed from her home, had not initially leveled allegations of sexual misconduct against Revanna.
Navadgi stated that the allegations primarily focused on Revanna’s father and noted that the victim had worked for the family for four years.
He also raised concerns about the four-year delay in filing the complaint, questioning the reasoning for not reporting the incident earlier.
He argued that while the woman claimed to have found the courage to speak up after her husband confronted her about a video, she did not initially allege rape under Section 376 of the IPC.
Navadgi further contended that forensic reports did not link Revanna to the purported video and highlighted "inconsistencies" in the victim’s and her daughter’s statements.
Navadgi denied that any incriminating videos were found on Revanna’s phone. He also argued that the phone in question belonged to Revanna’s driver, Karthik, and that the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) report was inconclusive.
On the allegations under the IT Act’s Section 66E, Navadgi asserted that these charges were not directly against Revanna. He also cited Supreme Court rulings on delayed complaints, arguing that no satisfactory explanation had been provided for the delay in this case.
Special Public Prosecutor Professor Ravivarma Kumar, representing the State, argued that the victim had been threatened by Revanna, which explained the delay in filing the complaint. Kumar emphasised that the threats were documented in the victim's further statement and asserted that forensic evidence supported the allegations against Revanna, particularly regarding the victim's daughter.
While the High Court questioned the findings of the FSL report, Kumar maintained that the delay in filing the complaint was justified due to the petitioner’s threats and attempts to silence the victim.
Kumar also argued that Revanna had not surrendered his phone, which contained crucial information, and that he had fled the country to evade justice.
Following these arguments, the court reserved its judgment on the bail pleas.
Revanna had failed in his bid to retain the Hassan parliamentary constituency in the recent polls. The cases of sexual abuse came to light after pen-drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls there on April 26.
JD(S) suspended him from the party following the cases filed against him.
In the first case registered against him at the Holenarasipura Town police station in Hassan on April 28, Revanna is accused of sexually harassing a 47-year-old former maid. He is listed as accused number two, while his father and local MLA, H D Revanna, is the primary accused.
The second case against Prajwal Revanna was filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on May 1 after a 44-year-old former member of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat accused him of repeatedly raping her.
The third case pertains to rape of a woman in her 60s from Mysuru's K R Nagara, who was also a domestic help. The victim's son had initially filed a kidnap case, alleging abduction of his mother, at the K R Nagar police station on May 2. In this kidnap case, the SIT had arrested H D Revanna, who is currently out on bail, and had questioned Prajwal's mother Bhavani Revanna, who has got anticipatory bail.
The fourth case was registered against Prajwal Revanna, accusing him of sexual harassment, on June 12 at cyber crime police station of CID in Bengaluru. In this case he has been booked for sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation, and violation of privacy under the IT Act. The complainant in this case is a woman, who was allegedly sexually harassed over a video call.
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
