Rape case: CID likely to file charge sheet against seer today

 Thirteen months after a rape complaint was lodged by a Ramakatha singer against Ramachandrapura Mutt seer Raghaveshwara Bharathi, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) police will on Saturday file a charge sheet in the case.

The CID is likely to submit the charge sheet before the 52nd Sessions Court here ending months of delay, speculations and suspicion.

“The CID police would submit 680-page charge sheet before the court on Saturday,” DGP (CID) Kishore Chandra  said.

The CID police have collected evidences from nine districts in the State. The Ramakatha event was organised in these places and the seer is accused of raping the singer in all the nine places.

The charge sheet also contains detailed reports of medical tests done on the seer to prove that he is capable of performing sexual acts. There are enclosures containing statements made by the seer, the victim and 48 witnesses, mobile phone call details, evidences gathered during the process of spot mahajar and reports of DNA test, said sources in the CID.

The inner garments of the victim had been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination. The FSL reports had confirmed Raghaveshwara Bharathi’s sperm on the victim’s inner garments. The charge sheet contains details of the reports submitted by the FSL, added the sources

The victim had lodged a complaint of rape with Girinagar police in Bengaluru in August 2014. The CID police arrested the seer on September 11, 2015 and released him later as he obtained a bail from the court.

The victim had alleged that the CID police had taken a soft corner for the seer and had approached the State and national women’s commissions. The victim had alleged that she had received threats calls, so too a few witnesses in the case.

The interim anticipatory bail obtained by the Raghaveshwara Bharathi will expire on September 29 and the seer’s future would be decided on September 30.

The counsel for the seer had told the court that there were two cases against Raghaveshwara Bharathi and he was fully cooperating with the police in both the cases. The singer has lodged false complaints only to tarnish the image of the seer and Ramachandrapura Mutt, he had contended.

The public prosecutor had said that the seer had not cooperated in the first case and there was a need to subject him for more medical tests.

There was also need for further interrogation and hence the bail should not be granted, he had argued. The court has reserved the verdict on September 30.

CID notice to seer

Meanwhile, the CID police has served notice for the second time on the seer directing him to appear for medical test on September 30. 

The counsel for the seer has moved the High Court claiming that petitioner was subjected for medical examination in the first case and hence there was no need for the second medical test.

DGP (CID) Kishore Chandra: The CID police would submit 680-page charge sheet before the court on Saturday