A special court on Saturday declined to provide anticipatory interim bail to Janta Dal (Secular) leader HD Revanna, who is accused of kidnapping a woman.
Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat dismissed Revanna’s plea for interim bail in a case filed against him under sections 364 (A), 365, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
The court said, “The complainant’s mother who is also the victim is yet to be traced and at this juncture, it would not be appropriate to discuss invocation about Sec.364-A of IPC, since the court is only considering the interim bail application.”
According to the prosecution’s account, a written report was submitted to the K.R. Nagara Police Station on May 2, 2024, around 9:00 p.m. The complainant reported that his mother had been employed in the residence of accused No.1 for approximately six years but had recently quit and started working as a daily wage laborer in their village.
The report mentioned that about 3 to 4 days before the Parliamentary Elections, accused No.2, Satish Babanna, who was acquainted with them, visited their residence and requested the complainant’s mother to accompany him. She returned home on the day of the parliamentary election. Additionally, it was stated that on April 29, 2024, around 9:00 p.m., the same incident occurred.
The report indicated that accused No.2, Satish Babanna, had visited their residence and requested the complainant’s mother to accompany him, allegedly as instructed by accused No.1, H.D. Revanna.
The complainant became aware of a viral video circulating concerning the alleged sexual assault on his mother through a friend. When he asked accused No.2, Satish Babanna, to return his mother, he refused. Concerned for her safety and well-being, the complainant lodged a complaint on May 2, 2024.
The applicant contended that he is an innocent and law-abiding citizen, and asserted that attempts were made to falsely implicate him. The complaint, according to the argument, does not in any way link the petitioner to the alleged offenses. It was further stated that the complaint appears to have been filed with a hidden agenda by political adversaries to damage his reputation in society.
The defense argued that the petitioner holds a prominent position in his constituency and had organized a campaign program where his son was a candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The false accusations against his son were purportedly made to undermine his chances in the election, and now the petitioner is being targeted to settle political scores.
The public prosecutor opposed the plea, arguing that the case registered against the petitioner is not fabricated. Instead, it has links to sexual assault and misconduct reportedly committed by his son, Prajwal Revanna, who allegedly recorded obscene acts for repeated exploitation.
Moreover, it was asserted that the registered case serves as an illustration of how the petitioner and others may resort to any means to manipulate the legal system and interfere with the investigation.
The court observed that the victim of the alleged offense was abducted by accused No.2 at the direction of accused No.1, i.e., the petitioner. Additionally, the investigating officers were still in the process of locating the victim and recording statements from various witnesses related to the case.
The court said “The court has to look into the seriousness of the allegations leveled and also with all facts and circumstances of the case.Since the victim is yet to be traced, it would not be appropriate to admit the petitioner herein on interim anticipatory bail. However, at this juncture, it is made clear that the observations made supra are not with respect to the merits or demerits of the case.”
Consequently, the application was dismissed.