SIT had challenged the special court’s order on granting bail for HD Revanna in connection to the victim kidnap case before the high court.
Published Aug 28, 2024 | 5:15 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 28, 2024 | 5:15 PM
File photo of HD Revanna after being released from jail.
The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday, 28 August, upheld the order granting bail to Holenarsipura MLA HD Revanna and dismissed SIT’s plea.
A single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna upheld the Special Court of Elected Representatives’ court order.
SIT had challenged the special court’s order on granting bail for HD Revanna in connection to the victim kidnap case before the high court. Revanna was granted bail by the special court on 13 May.
On 23 August, the SIT of the CID of the Karnataka Police filed a 2,144-page comprehensive charge sheet has been filed against HD Revanna as the first accused, and his son and former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, the second accused, before the Special People’s Court in Bengaluru.
SIT was represented by special public prosecutor Professor Ravivarma Kumar, while senior advocate CV Nagesh represented Revanna in the high court.
According to Livelaw, SIT submitted that obscene videos allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna with the woman prompted her (victim’s) son to lodge a complaint. It is alleged even before the complaint was lodged, the woman was abducted and an attempt was made to silence her and to destroy the evidence to ensure she does not lodge a complaint against the JD(S) leader’s son.
Senior Advocate CV Nagesh appearing for Revanna, said “Other than the statement made by Satish Babana (co-accused) to the son of the victim that the respondent (HD Revanna) had asked the lady to be brought to his house, nothing is there. Would it amount to a penal offence?”
“For abduction, there has to be deceit under Section 362 IPC. Here there is no happening of such an event, the lady was a maidservant and thus there is no deceit. In this case, demand and threat are not established,” Nagesh had argued.
Apart from upholding Revanna’s bail order, the high court also granted conditional bail to other accused Satish Babanna, HK Sujay, HNN Madhu, ST Keerthi, HD Mayu Gowda, and KA Rajagopal in connection to the abduction case, and, directed them to furnish a surety bond of ₹5 lakh bond.
Revanna has also appealed to the court to quash the FIR registered against him and others on the charges of kidnapping victim. However, the hearing is pending before the court.
Two cases — kidnapping and sexual abuse — have been registered against Revanna, son of JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda.
Both Revanna and his accomplice Satish Babanna were booked by KR Nagara Police Station in Bengaluru on 2 May for kidnapping the woman.
The case was registered following a complaint by the woman’s son, who alleged that his mother was sexually abused by Revanna’s son Prajwal. The woman was allegedly abducted to prevent her from testifying against Prajwal, police sources said.
The SIT arrested his accomplice Babanna on 3 May and subsequently rescued the woman allegedly from a farmhouse in Mysuru’s Hunsur taluk on 4 May, hours before the arrest of Revanna.
Revanna was arrested from the residence of his father Deve Gowda on the same day and was remanded into four-day police custody.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Mahesh G Goudar)
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