Bengaluru:

A court on Monday granted bail to JD(S) MLA and former Karnataka Minister H D Revanna in a sexual assault case.

The 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court had previously granted interim relief to the 66-year-old politician. Judge Preeth J refused to hear objections from SIT and ordered bail.

The case, registered on April 28 at the Holenarasipura town police station, involves allegations of sexual assault by Revanna and his son, Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, against a 47-year-old house help.

Prajwal Revanna reportedly left for Germany on April 27 and an arrest warrant has also been issued against him in the sexual assault case. Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice against Prajwal, who is on the run.

HD Revanna was arrested on May 4 and was remanded into four-day police custody. He was later sent into judicial custody. Towards the end of his judicial custody, he secured conditional bail from a special court for MPs and MLAs.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh Saturday urged a Delhi court to discharge him in a sexual harassment case lodged by six female wrestlers, claiming contradictions in the statements of prosecution witnesses.

Represented by advocate Rajeev Mohan, the accused also claimed that as per the law, the oversight committee formed to look into the case had to recommend the registration of FIR within seven days.

But “since in the matter at hand, no such recommendation has been made , it is safe to assume that the Oversight Committee did not find a prima facie case against accused”, he said.

The judge, meanwhile, granted exemption from personal appearance for the day to Mr Singh on an application moved by his lawyer.

“Since no prima facie case was found out by the Oversight Committee, and since no case was found out, no FIR was registered, and since no FIR was registered, it automatically amounts to exoneration,” the counsel told the court.

The defence counsel further claimed that the statements made before the Oversight Committee and the statements recorded under section 164 CrPC have material contradictions and that “the statements made later in time (under section 164) have material improvements and, therefore are liable to be rejected in toto”.

“Since there are material contradictions in the statements of the prosecution witnesses, that itself calls for discharge of the accused as the contradictions have the effect of taking the case away from the arena of grave suspicion, towards only mere suspicion,” the counsel said.

The argument was opposed by the public prosecutor, who said the constitution of the Oversight Committee itself was not in accordance with law.

“There is no question of exoneration because no recommendations/ findings have been given by the said Committee,” the prosecutor said.

The judge will further hear the matter on October 30.

The city police had filed a charge sheet in the case against Mr Singh, a six-time MP, on June 15 under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

The police had also charged Vinod Tomar, the suspended assistant secretary of the WFI, in the case.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)