Sexual abuse: SIT interrogates Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna
Bengaluru (PTI): Suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, facing allegations of sexually abusing several women, was interrogated after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested him as soon as he landed at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru in the wee hours of Friday.
The 33 year-old MP, who arrived from Munich, was taken to the CID office for interrogation, sources in the SIT said.
The SIT is also contemplating a potency test on Prajwal.
The Special Court for Public Representatives will hear the bail plea of Prajwal and his mother Bhavani Revanna on Friday.
Before reaching Bengaluru from Munich, the Hassan MP had made a last attempt to avoid arrest and had moved the court seeking bail.
Prajwal faces three sexual abuse cases, while his mother has sought anticipatory bail in an alleged kidnapping case.
Though Bhavani is not an accused in the case, SIT has reportedly desired to investigate her role.
In the same case, Bhavani's husband and Holenarasipura MLA H D Revanna, who is former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's son, was arrested and later released on bail. He is also an accused of sexually harassing the cook of his house, who was also sexually abused by his son Prajwal.
The 33-year-old Prajwal, grandson of Deve Gowda and the BJP-JD(S) alliance candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, is facing charges of sexually abusing many women. He has been so far booked in three cases of sexual assault.
He had left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan went to polls. A 'Blue Corner Notice' seeking information on his whereabouts was issued by the Interpol earlier, following a request by the SIT via the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The MP, terming the cases against him as false and alleging political conspiracy, had said in a video statement issued earlier this week that he had gone into depression.
He had also filed an anticipatory bail plea at the Principal City and Sessions Court for Elected Representatives on May 29, which issued a notice to the SIT to file objections, before posting the hearing for Friday.
The scandal has raised a political storm with the ruling Congress and BJP-JD(S) engaged in a slugfest.
While the Congress government has formed a SIT to probe the cases, the BJP and JD(S) -- NDA partners -- have demanded that it be handed over to the CBI, and action be taken against those behind the wide circulation of explicit videos.
The cases of sexual abuse came to light after a number of pen drives allegedly containing explicit videos involving Prajwal were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls there on April 26.
Deve Gowda had recently issued a 'stern warning' to Prajwal, asking him to return to the country and face probe into the sexual abuse allegations, while asserting there will be no interference from him or other family members into the enquiry.
The JD(S) supremo had reiterated that his grandson should be given the harshest punishment under the law "if found guilty".
Prajwal's uncle and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy too had repeatedly appealed to his nephew to return to the country from abroad and face the probe.
JD(S) has suspended Prajwal Revanna from the party following the allegations.
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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.
