JOIN USThe Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Karnataka Police over their failure to produce the charge sheets in the sexual assault case allegedly involving controversial godman Nityananda and a co-accused, asking if they were “shadow-boxing” with the accused.
A bench of Justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and N V Ramana expressed its dismay after finding that senior advocate M N Rao, appearing for Karnataka, could not respond to the court’s plea with regard to charges levelled against the individual accused, in accordance with the charge sheet filed against them.
“We must have proper assistance (from the counsel). Why have you not produced the complete charge sheet? Are you doing some sort of shadow-boxing,” the bench asked the counsel.
The court made the query before reserving its order on the plea made by Nityananda and others against the Karnataka High Court order of July 16 refusing to interfere with a trial court’s direction to undergo the potency test and give a voice sample.
Rao and advocate Joseph Aristotle submitted that the voluminous charge sheets, which were in Kannada language, could not be translated.
The bench reiterated its anxiety over delay in the matter. “It is high time that the trial must progress. Why should we keep the matter pending?” the bench said, seeking cooperation from the accused and the Karnataka Police to expedite the case.
Swamy, facing charges of rape and indulging in unnatural sex, was arrested on April 22, 2010. He was, however, granted bail on June 11, 2010. The 37-year-old has founded an ashram that has its headquarters in Bangalore.