SIT closes gang rape case against BJP MLA Munirathna for lack of evidence
Complaint found to be false, says police team
Bengaluru: The gang rape case filed against BJP legislator Munirathna has been closed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CID, with the team informing the Karnataka High Court that it found the charges against the MLA to be false.
The closure report was submitted by the SIT before the Justice MI Arun on Wednesday. While the hearing of the petition has been adjourned for September 17, the HC has issued an interim order to the police not to take coercive action against Munirathna until then.
The complaint had been filed against the MLA by a 40-year-old social worker, claiming that she had been gang raped in Munirathna’s office in June 2023 and that the MLA was the mastermind. The woman had also stated in her complaint that two of the legislator’s aides had taken her there under his direction and on the pretext of getting his help to clear a criminal case against her. The two men raped her at the office while Munirathna stood watching before urinating on her.
The SIT had chargesheeted the legislator and others for honey-trapping the woman and also attempting to infect others with AIDS. In addition, Munirathna was chargesheeted in November 2024 for allegedly verbally abusing an ex-corporator.
A senior IPS officer, commenting on the investigation, however, said that there was no evidence to substantiate her allegations, because of which, the SIT was closing the case, saying the complaint is false.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
