NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to Bhavani Revanna, mother of former JDS MP Prajwal Revanna, who is accused of sexual exploitation of women.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan sought a response from Bhavani, while observing that there was not much in the case against her.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appeared for the Karnataka government, questioning the pre arrest bail granted to her in the case related to alleged abduction of the victim.
He said the victim was held in captivity and made to give a statement forcefully in May that nothing had happened. The victim was taken away and kept in a farmhouse.
He said the High Court, however, said there was no mention of her role.
The bench, however, orally said, "There is nothing in the case against the respondent, let's not politicise the matter."
The court also noted there was not much materials against her in the statement of the victim recorded before a court under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
"Leave apart the political reasons. But see the reasons given by the High Court. Accused is a woman, aged 55 years. There are serious allegations against her son of indulging in atrocious things. He ran away and eventually, he was caught. In a case of these kind of allegations, what will be the role of the mother in abetting the crime committed by her son," the bench said.
Sibal, however, claimed it was she (the mother) who directed for captivity. "The victim is forced to make a statement. This is a case of clear threat," he said.
The Karnataka government challenged the High Court's order in June, this year allowing regular anticipatory bail to Bhavani Revanna in the abduction case lodged with K R Nagar police station in Mysuru.
Bhavani had moved the High Court after the special court declined her relief. She had earlier appeared before the SIT for three days to answer the questions raised in its probe in the matter. The SIT, however, claimed she did not co-operate and was the kingpin in the case lodged under Section 364 A of the IPC.
The High Court's bench of Justice Krishna S Dixit, however, had said Bhavani had answered a total of 80 questions posed by the SIT.
There is not even a whisper that the argued risk to the abductee's life is at the instance of the petitioner. Even otherwise, no assumption of the kind can be made against the petitioner who is not named by the complainant or by his mother in her (CrPC) sections 161 & 164 statements that are furnished in a sealed cover, the HC had said.
