Today, On 2nd May, Karnataka High Court has rejected a plea by Prajwal Revanna’s mother to delay his rape trial, stating the request to allow him time to appoint a new lawyer is not a valid ground for deferment.
Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court on Friday dismissed a request to postpone the rape trial of suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna.
Justice Vishwajith Shetty rejected the plea filed by Revanna’s mother, which sought to delay the trial to allow Revanna time to appoint a new lawyer to represent him in the trial court.
The Court stated orally that any instruction to defer the trial might discourage the trial court.
Justice Shetty said,
“If orders are passed asking the trial court to adjourn it, it will demoralise (the trial court),”
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The judge indicated that he would not consider the plea filed by Prajwal Revanna’s mother, Bhavani Revanna, on his behalf.
The judge stated,
“I will pass orders, I will not entertain,”
Prajwal Revanna is the primary accused in four cases filed after the online circulation of over 2,900 clips depicting the sexual assault of numerous women, including on social media platforms.
On April 3, the Bengaluru trial court handling the case framed various criminal charges against Revanna, including rape, voyeurism, criminal intimidation, and the unauthorized distribution of private images.
Bhavani Revanna herself is also facing allegations of kidnapping and intimidating a woman who is said to have been repeatedly raped by Prajwal Revanna.
Prajwal Revanna’s former lawyer, advocate Arun G, withdrew his vakalath and ceased representing Revanna before the trial court on April 23.
This occurred shortly after a request to transfer the trial to a different court was denied.
Reportedly, the trial court then asked Prajwal Revanna on April 28 if he wished to be represented by a lawyer from the District Legal Services Authority (DSLA).
Revanna responded that his family was in the process of hiring another lawyer.
Read Also: No Bail for JD (S) MP Prajwal Revanna in Sex Tapes Case
However, on April 29, the trial court ultimately appointed Chief Legal Defence Counsel Jayashree RS as an amicus curiae to represent Revanna.
It is alleged that this appointment was made without Prajwal Revanna’s consent and after providing him with less than 24 hours to secure new legal representation. The matter was also scheduled for daily hearings beginning on May 2 (today).
Consequently, Revanna’s mother, Bhavani Revanna, filed a plea before the High Court seeking additional time for Revanna to hire a lawyer of his choosing to represent him in the trial court.
She added that even the amicus appointed by the trial court on April 29 was given only two days to prepare for the case, which involves numerous witnesses and extensive case files.
Notably, the petition also alleged that, before withdrawing from the case, Prajwal Revanna’s lawyer had met with him in jail and informed him that courtroom submissions were not being accurately recorded in the trial court’s orders.
Bhavani Revanna claimed that upon learning this, she also requested the court to provide copies of the courtroom proceedings. Her plea asserted that Prajwal Revanna’s applications for the same had been unsuccessful and were not being processed.
She further stated that, instead of addressing her request, the trial court ridiculed her and proceeded with the hearing. Her applications for certified copies of the court proceedings were also denied.
Therefore, she also urged the High Court to order the trial court to release certified copies of the court proceedings.
However, the Court today was not inclined to entertain the plea. The petition was filed through advocate Mayur D Bhanu of Legal Care Inc.
Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Ravivarma Kumar appeared for the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that investigated the case.
Senior Advocate Vikram Huilgol appeared for Bhavani Revanna.
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