However, the court said that Gowda should not be arrested or detained as long as he cooperates with the investigation.
Preetham Gowda. (Facebook)
The Karnataka High Court on Friday, 28 June, refused to stall the investigation against former Hassan BJP MLA Preetham Gowda, who is accused of distributing explicit videos of sexual assault allegedly involving former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna.
Gowda had filed a petition seeking to quash the FIR registered against him under Section 67, 66E of the Information Technology Act and Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code.
A single judge bench of Justice Krishna S Dixit passed the interim order while issuing notice to the respondents.
However, the court said that Gowda should not be arrested or detained as long as he cooperates with the investigation.
It also said this order shall not come in the way of any material discovered by the police.
Gowda, who lost the Assembly polls in May last year, was named as an accused in the fourth FIR registered against Prajwal Revanna by a woman.
Preetham Gowda has been named in the FIR for allegedly sharing images captured by Prajwal during sexual harassment of the victim on a video call, police sources said on 25 June.
“A fresh case has been registered by the SIT against Prajwal and three others. Former BJP MLA Preetham Gowda has also been named in the FIR,” a police source confirmed to PTI.
The case has been registered under sections 355 A (sexual harassment), 354 B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 354 D (stalking), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and 66 E (punishment for violation of privacy) of the Information Technology Act, according to the police sources.
Four separate cases have been registered against Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of the former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, all of which are being investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
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 26 April.
The 33-year-old Prajwal was arrested on 31 May soon after he returned from Germany where he was holed up after an investigation about the alleged sexual abuse by him was taken up by the Karnataka police.
A ‘Blue Corner Notice’ seeking information on his whereabouts had earlier been issued by Interpol, following a request by the SIT via the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Meanwhile, Prajwal Revanna’s custody has once again be extended four more days till 29 June.
(With PTI inputs)
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