SIT probe in sexual abuse case involving MP Prajwal 'losing track': JD(S) to petition Governor
Bengaluru (PTI): JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday alleged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing into the sexual abuse charges against his nephew, Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, is "losing track", and said his party would submit a memorandum to Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
The former chief minister, while maintaining that he wants the guilty to be punished in accordance with the law, raised questions on the progress of the probe by the SIT constituted by the Karnataka's Congress government.
Also raising questions regarding the investigation against Prajwal's father and his brother, MLA H D Revanna, who is facing kidnapping charges, Kumaraswamy asked why the woman who was allegedly kidnapped has not been produced before the court so far, after she was rescued.
"We are giving a memorandum to the Governor as to how the investigation is losing its track... I have been saying since day one that whoever has committed wrong has to be punished. Looking at the way in which things are going on, it looks like none of these people want the guilty punished, but want publicity... What is the achievement (progress) since the investigation began?" Kumaraswamy said.
While speaking to reporters here, he said there is information that the family of the kidnapped woman has been kept here. He questioned why the woman has not been produced before the court till now.
"It has been how many days since the kidnapped woman was brought here? Has her statement been recorded under section 164 of CrPC (statements recorded by magistrate)? Has she been produced before the judge? It has been five days, why has the woman not been produced before the judge? From where was she brought? Was the 'mahazar' done? Was she brought from some farmhouse as claimed and reported in the media?," Kumaraswamy asked.
Further questioning why the SIT has not shared this information so far, the JD(S) leader said it has been five days since the woman was brought here, and they have not said anything on whether Revanna was responsible for the abduction or not.
"Why is the truth not placed before the court? They have sought time till Monday to file their objection. It means they want to keep Revanna in jail for three more days. They (Congress leaders) want to fulfill their hate, that is what they want. They don't want punishment for the guilty," he added. "I don't know whether the issue will die down after June 4 (Lok Sabha polls results)."
Revanna was remanded into judicial custody till May 14 by a magisterial court here on Wednesday.
He was in the custody of the SIT after being arrested in the alleged case of kidnapping a woman.
The case was filed based on a complaint by her son, who also accused the MLA's son Prajwal Revanna of having sexually assaulted her.
According to the police, the abducted woman was subsequently rescued.
The 33-year-old Prajwal Revanna is facing charges of sexually abusing several women. The scandal has raised a political storm with the ruling Congress and the BJP-JD(S) engaged in a slugfest.
Responding to a question on Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar allegedly targeting him, Kumaraswamy sarcastically said, "Yes I'm the producer, director and also I'm the lead of the story... Shivakumar wants me to be the lead of the story right? I'm happy that he has accepted me as the lead of the story."
Shivakumar on Wednesday charged Kumaraswamy with being behind the circulation of videos of the sexual abuse of several women allegedly by Prajwal Revanna, and called the JDS second-in-command the "king of blackmailing" and the "lead, director, and producer of the story."
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
