Achi news desk-
Kataka sex scandal: ‘Will not interfere’, says CM Siddaramaiah after SIT arrests son of former CM Dev Gowda
Bengaluru: In a major development, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sex tape scandal involving JD-S MP Prajwal Revanna on Saturday arrested his father and JD-S MLA HD Revanna following the rejection of his anticipatory bail plea in a victim abduction case by the People’s Representative Court in Bengaluru.
HD Revanna was taken into custody from the residence of his father and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in Bengaluru’s Padmanabhanagar locality.
First, he was taken to the SIT office in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) premises. After an initial investigation, the former JD-S minister was taken to Bowing Hospital for a medical examination.
Sources said he would later be produced before the magistrate at the latter’s residence.
Commenting on the development, Prime Minister Siddaramaiah told media persons that he would not interfere in the matter.
“One must act according to the law,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Shivakumar said: “We will not interfere in anything related to this matter. Let them receive protection from the court according to the law.”
Shivakumar also said that let the proceedings take place in the manner suggested by former CM HD Kumaraswamy.
Quoting a Kannada proverb, Kumaraswamy said that those who commit crimes must be punished.
The SIT officers reached the former chief minister’s residence soon after the court rejected his anticipatory bail plea in a case related to the kidnapping of a woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by his son Prajwal Ravana, the sources said.
Earlier on Saturday, the SIT traced the abducted woman to the farmhouse of Rajeshkar, the personal assistant (PA) of HD Revanna, at Kalanahalli village in Mysuru district.
In the court, the special legal advisor in Nan Yigdish claimed that the case deals with saving the life of a poor woman.
Jagadish alleged that HD Revanna did not appear before the authorities even after she was served three notices.
Senior counsel Muthy D. Naik, appearing for HD Revanna, argued that the only charge against his client was a statement that he called the victim to his residence.
Apart from that, there is nothing to prove HD Revanna’s role in this case, he claimed, adding that the statement was made by an accused in the case, with whom his client has no connections.
He also alleged that the SIT deliberately added IPC Section 364A, which carries life imprisonment and death penalty, to ensure that his client’s bail plea is rejected.
The other IPC sections invoked in the case – 363 and 365 – attract imprisonment of less than seven years. Therefore, to prove HD Revanna’s innocence, he should be allowed bail, Naik argued.
Meanwhile, the woman, who went missing on April 29, was found locked in the farmhouse when the SIT officers reached there following a tip-off.
Sources said Rajeshkar absconded since the SIT traced the missing to his farmhouse.
The woman is brought to Bengaluru where her statement will be recorded.
On Friday, the Karnataka police registered an FIR against HD Revanna in connection with the abduction of the woman, suspected to be one of the victims of the sex tape scandal involving his son Prajwal Revanna.
The woman’s son registered a kidnapping case and named HD Revanna as the main accused in the case.
His relative Satish Babu was named as the second accused in the FIR, who was arrested by police from Mysuru district on Friday.
The woman’s son claimed his mother had disappeared after an alleged sex video surfaced in which Prajwal Ravana could be seen sexually assaulting her.
He also claimed that his mother was locked up in an unknown place as he urged the police to initiate legal proceedings against HD Ravana and Satish Babu.
According to reports, Prajwal Ravana, sitting Member of Parliament in JD-S Mahsan, has fled the country.
