JOIN USThe State government submitted to the newly constituted High Court bench to hear an appeal by Raghaveshwara Bharati Swami, pontiff of Ramachandrapura Mutt, who is facing allegations of raping his devotee, that the investigation is almost complete in the case.
During the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Belliappa submitted that the probe into the matter is complete and the investigation officer will be submitting the report shortly. The division bench comprising Justice Ananda Byra Reddy and Justice N Ananda directed the petitioners to furnish the copy of translated version of the statements made by the accused.
Senior counsel B V Acharya, appearing on behalf of the seer, informed the bench about the facts of the case and submitted that the seer was innocent and that the complaint was an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the seer and the Mutt. The matter has been adjourned to Friday.
Plea dismissed
The HC has dismissed the petition by Karthik Gowda, son of Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, seeking that the complaint against him by actor Maithreya Gowda - who has accused him of raping and cheating her after promising to marry her - be quashed.
Dismissing the petition, Justice R B Budhihal said that since the complaint is by a woman, who has said that she has been raped by the petitioner, there is a need to investigate the matter and the court will not interfere in the issue in the wake of the Supreme Court judgment.
“The allegations made in the case being serious in nature under Sections 376 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, this court cannot invoke Section 482 of the CrPC to quash the matter,” Justice Budhihal observed.
Pointing to the complaint which says that the petitioner forcibly tied a thread of turmeric to the neck of the victim, made a false promise and forcibly had sex with her without her consent, the court said that there should be an investigation into the matter.
Maithreya had lodged a complaint with the RT Nagar police on August 27, 2014, alleging that Karthik had abused her sexually on the pretext of marrying her. Karthik, in his petition, had stated that the allegations against him were far from truth. With the Court now dismissing the petition, the investigation will continue.