BENGALURU: A special court on Tuesday rejected an application to become an approver filed by accused No 2 in the alleged unnatural sexual assault case against JDS MLC Dr Suraj Revanna. The accused, Shivakumar HL, claimed that he had complete knowledge of the incident and that he was willing to make a full and truthful disclosure about the roles of both accused in the case.
Suraj Revanna’s counsel Gangadhar Shetty strongly opposed Shivakumar’s application. He argued that Shivakumar’s involvement in the case pertains only to the allegation that he had threatened the complainant. He was not present during the alleged incident of unnatural sexual assault. Therefore, he could not provide direct evidence regarding the alleged offence, the counsel said.
The court rejected Shivakumar’s application, stating that let the case proceed in accordance with law. The court noted that Shivakumar had failed to establish sufficient legal or factual grounds for granting him the approver status.
Case background
On June 22, 2024, a man lodged a complaint with Holenarasipura rural police alleging that Suraj Revanna had subjected him to unnatural sexual assault. The CID filed a chargesheet against Suraj Revanna and Shivakumar. Meanwhile, Shivakumar, an associate of Suraj Revanna, filed a counter-complaint against the complainant, alleging that he was blackmailing Suraj Revanna by threatening to file a sexual harassment case against him and demanding Rs 5 crore to withdraw the complaint.