A good trial in a legal case entails not simply the rights of the accused but additionally the sufferer, a particular court docket in Bengaluru mentioned Tuesday because it rejected a request by former MP Prajwal Revanna for postponement of the trial in certainly one of 4 rape instances filed towards him in 2024.
Prajwal Revanna, 33, had sought time to discover a new lawyer to symbolize him within the case the place he’s accused of raping a home employee at his farm home.
The particular court docket for instances towards elected representatives, nevertheless, rejected the request, mentioning that the previous Janata Dal (Secular) MP gave the impression to be making an attempt to delay the proceedings.
“The idea of truthful trial not solely consists of the best of (the) accused but additionally the best of the sufferer can be required to be thought-about and steadiness is required to be made,” the court docket mentioned.
It fastened Could 2 because the date for the beginning of the trial. The sooner date was April 23.
The court docket additionally appointed the chief authorized help officer of the District Authorized Providers Authority to help the defence of the previous MP, the grandson of the previous prime minister H D Deve Gowda.
Regardless of the rape survivor showing in court docket on April 23 as a prosecution witness, the trial couldn’t begin as Prajwal Revanna’s advocate accused the court docket of bias towards his consumer. When a switch of the case was not granted, the advocate withdrew from it.
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The particular court docket had subsequently requested Prajwal Revanna to avail the companies of the DLSA to defend him within the rape case however the former MP rejected the request and sought extra time to nominate a defence counsel of his personal alternative.
“Although the discovered advocate of DLSA is current earlier than the court docket the accused has refused to avail the companies of the panel advocate. As such it solely signifies that the accused is to dodge and delay the proceedings,” the particular court docket noticed on Tuesday.
The court docket was knowledgeable by the Particular Public Prosecutor that the Supreme Court docket has mandated that the trial in instances of sexual offences should be accomplished inside two months from the date of submitting of the chargesheet.
The chargesheet within the case the place Prajwal Revanna is accused of sexually assaulting the home employee was filed by a Particular Investigation Workforce of the Karnataka Police in December 2024 and the fees had been framed on April 3.
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“The Honble Apex Court docket has laid down the rules for conducting trials with respect to sexual offences. The aforesaid judgment pertains to a bigger bench and the identical is required to be adopted in letter and spirit. below the circumstances, no affordable grounds have been made out for adjourning the case,” the particular court docket mentioned Tuesday.
“For the reason that accused has not appointed nor engaged any counsel of his alternative it might be acceptable to request the discovered counsel appointed by DLSA to behave because the amicus curiae on this case to help the court docket. Smt. Jayashree R.S. Advocate who can be Chief Authorized Support defence counsel is hereby appointed as amicus curiae to symbolize the accused,” the particular court docket mentioned.
After fixing Could 2 because the date for the beginning of the trial, the court docket issued summons for witnesses to be current, together with the sufferer. The court docket additionally directed “placing up a display screen to guard the identification of the accused from the sufferer” in the course of the trial course of.
Prajwal Revanna is accused in 4 instances of rape that emerged after movies of a number of sexual assaults surfaced within the public area forward of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He was defeated by a Congress candidate in Hassan.
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Within the first case that’s now set for trial Prajwal Revanna has been charged with commiting rape whereas “being able of management or dominance”, sexual harassment and legal intimidation.
A chargesheet working into 1,632 pages, and backed by 113 witnesses, was filed final 12 months by the SIT.
The case was registered on the idea of a criticism filed by a center aged lady on Could 8, 2024, after she was rescued on Could 5 from a farmhouse close to Mysuru the place she was allegedly stored in confinement after being recognized in movies of sexual assaults recorded by the MP on his cell phone.
Prajwal Revanna was arrested on Could 31, 2024 following his return from Germany, the place he had fled to after the movies of sexual assaults emerged on April 26, 2024.
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In a second case of rape the place the date of trial was set to be fastened on Tuesday, the particular court docket granted an adjournment to Could 5 after Prajwal Revanna’s advocate recused himself and the previous MP sought time to discover a new lawyer to defend him.
On this case, the previous MP is accused of sexually assaulting a former Hassan zilla panchayat member who approached him for official favors. The costs of rape had been framed within the case on April 22. Prajwal Revanna has pleaded not responsible.
On Tuesday, the particular court docket was knowledgeable that the advocate for Prajwal Revanna had handed over the case paperwork to his mom Bhavani Revanna whereas withdrawing from the function of the defence counsel. The court docket was knowledgeable by the Particular Public Prosecutor that the mom of the accused was additionally accused in a case of making an attempt to kidnap a survivor of the sexual assaults.
The court docket mentioned that it requires to establish “whether or not the privateness of the sufferer/different individuals whose identify or particulars together with cellphone quantity had surfaced within the digital information are compromised or not”.
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“To think about the identical and in addition to offer a chance to the accused to interact a counsel of his alternative the case is adjourned to the following date of listening to,” the particular court docket acknowledged.