Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Jun 11: After expressing displeasure over the failure of the investigating officials of the criminal investigation department to place before it the records of mobile conversations and CD, considered to be the clinching evidences on the rape case against former minister, Hartalu Halappa, the High Court bench headed by Subhash B Adi, adjourned the hearing of the bail plea filed by the former minister, to June 17.

When the bench took up the bail application preferred by Halappa on Thursday June 10 for hearing, advocate, Ravi B Nayak, appearing for Halappa, brought to the notice of the judge to the statement made by the government lawyer that the CD and mobile phones said to contain evidences of the alleged rape, are with the criminal investigations department (CID). He also told the court that the CID is yet to place these materials before the High Court.

Nayak also alleged that Venkateshmurty had invited Halappa as part of a conspiracy hatched by him, to his home, and then recorded the incidents in his mobile phone. “The conspiracy to defame the then minister was hatched by Murty. There are many loopholes and variations in the statements made in the first information report (FIR) and the investigation reports of the policemen. Before Halappa went to Murty’s home, Chandravati had talked to the former over phone for 292 minutes. That proves that the two had a close relationship since long,” he argued.

Nayak further said that that there are records to prove that the two children of Murty had been put up in a lodge on the night of the alleged incident. He said that the children had gone to that lodge at 7.45 pm on November 26, and returned home at 8 am the next day. He pointed out that the FIR mentions that the children were at home on the night of the incident. The advocate also noted that the complaint says that Venkateshmurty had visited the government guest house at 10.30 pm, while as per the police report, the alleged rape took place at 3.30 am.