Prajwal Revanna sexual assault | Karnataka High Court grants anticipatory bail to Bhavani Revanna in abduction of rape victim case

She is an accused in the abduction of a victim of the sexual assaults by her son Prajwal Revanna.

In a relief to Bhavani Revanna, mother of rape accused Prajwal Revanna, former MP, the High Court of Karnataka granted regular anticipatory bail in the case of alleged abduction of one of the victims of her son’s sexual assaults.

On June 18, Justice Krishna S. Dixit passed the order while allowing Ms. Bhavani’s petition seeking anticipatory bail. In addition to earlier conditions, the court permitted the SIT to take her to Hassan and Mysuru districts for their investigation. The court continued all the conditions imposed on her while granting interim anticipatory bail. 

Though the copy of the judgment is yet to be released, the judge orally said that he has rejected SIT’s contention that once police request for custody of an accused, the courts have no power to question the reason for custody. It was found that she had answered majority of the questions posed by the SIT, and it cannot be expected that an accused answers the questions as required by the police, Justice Dixit said orally while narrating the gist of the judgment . 

The court orally appealed to the media to exercise restraint while reporting on cases involving women, as it relates to health of the societal structure. A ‘media trial’ could make people jump to conclusions about guilt of the accused. 

On June 7, the court had granted interim anticipatory bail to Bhavani Revanna on the condition that she appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) by 1 p.m. on that day. She had appeared before the SIT as per the court order. 

However, the court restrained the SIT from detaining her for questioning after 5 p.m. Also, the court directed her to cooperate with the probe while restraining her from entering or hovering near Hassan district and K.R. Nagar taluk of Mysuru district. 

While terming the order of granting interim anticipatory bail, pending disposal of the main matter, is not ‘a prize’, but an order ‘passed in discretion, the court had directed that ‘no celebration, procession or the like shall be ventured by her or anyone’.