Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Aug 5: Relating to the mysterious disappearance and subsequent death of his wife Padmapriya, MLA Raghupati Bhat has filed a private complaint with the court of the chief civil judge here, through advocate Pradeep Kumar, against Atul Rao.

Through the complaint, Bhat wants to hold his childhood friend Rao guilty under sections 497, 498 and 306 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) relating to adultery, abducting and keeping women under illegal confinement for criminal purposes and abetting suicide. He has allegled that Atul had physical relationship with his wife. The chief civil judge (senior division) and judicial chief magistrate of the local court, who heard the complaint, referred the same to the station house officer of Manipal police station with an instruction to file his report thereof in the court, before  October 3, advocate Pradeep Kumar said.

The Corps of Detectives police have already filed charge sheet against Atul under IPC sections 417, 465, 468 and 471 on August 20, 2008. The sections in this charge sheet pertain to fraud and forgery. Under the rights to information act, copies of the voluntary statements made by Atul, housemaid Sunita and Rohan, son of Raghupati Bhat, to the COD policemen have been procured. These statements corroborate the charges now made against Atul through the private complaint, Pradeep Kumar explained.

It may be recalled that Atul has already dismissed allegations that he had stayed at a lodge in Karkala with Padmapriya and that he had illicit relationship with her.