Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court rejected the bail applications of former MP Prajwal Revanna, who is in judicial custody as an accused of raping a domestic worker and a former member of Hassan Zilla panchayat and sharing obscene videos of the abhorrent incident. A single-member bench headed by Justice M Nagaprasanna heard Revanna's petitions.
Senior advocate Prabhulinga Navadagi, who argued for Revanna, said the forensic science laboratory did not clarify the presence of the accused and the victim in the video. There are objections to the credibility of the complaint. The victim gave an interview to an electronic media a few days before the Lok Sabha polls. There was no accusation of rape. Section 164 of CrPC does not allege rape in the statement and no explanation has been given for filing the complaint after five years.
The statement of the victim's daughter, which has some discrepancies, was used as evidence. Although there was an act of rape once, it was consensual, Revanna's lawyer informed the court.
A former member of Hassan Zilla Panchayat has also alleged rape. However, a few days before filing the complaint, she participated in the Lok Sabha election campaign along with the petitioner. There is no role of the petitioner, in custody since May 30, in sharing obscene videos case.
"We will not escape from court. We will bow to any condition imposed by the court. Considering this, bail should be granted," the lawyer pleaded.
Objecting to this, special government prosecutor Ravivarma Kumar said, "The allegations of rape against Revanna started when the allegations of sexual harassment against his father, MLA H D Revanna, surfaced. He was an MP and threatened the housekeeper of killing her husband if she revealed the details of the rape. He also threatened to release obscene videos. Because of this, the victim filed a complaint lately".
"Revanna left the country when the complaint was registered. Till now, he has not handed over his phone to the investigators. The victim's daughter's statement and the FSL report have confirmed the same. The pictures taken by Revanna in the toilet match with the FSL report," he objected.
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