BANGALORE: The moment former cooperation minister Lakshman Savadi was caught watching a sleaze video in the Assembly, speculations were running high whether the police would take up a case or not. There are a few options which could put the former ministers much in trouble.
As Savadi was caught red-handed watching the porn video, the police could take up a suo-motu criminal case against him and as well as Krishna Palemar, who circulated the video. If they don’t, the Speaker could file a case against them or any member of public is free to move the law into motion by filing a case against them.
However, if a criminal case is registered, it is not mandatory that the police should arrest the accused. But there are all chances that they could file a charge-sheet against the accused in a court.
Advocate Shankarappa said that watching a sexually explicit content in a public place is a serious offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). “Its not objectionable if people watch pornography in solace. But, watching it in public amounts to criminal offence. In this case, even Palemar could be made an accused as Savadi himself had claimed that the video was transferred to his mobile from Palemar’s phone,” he said.
“The former ministers can be booked under sections 290 (public nuisance), 292 (selling and public exhibition of sexually explicit materials) and 294 (obscene acts and songs) of the IPC,” he added.
However, a senior police official maintained that it is not ‘viable’ to register the case as there were so many legal aspects involved in it.
“First of all, if a case has to be registered, there should be an aggrieved party and he should come forward to file the case. But, in this case no one is affected. And obscenity is not described any where and hence it is difficult to take up a case,” the officer stated.