In a relief for Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda’s son Karthik declared absconding, a court on Monday granted him anticipatory bail in a case relating to alleged rape, kidnap and cheating of a Kannada starlet.
The relief came to Karthik Gowda three days after a magistrate court issued arrest warrant against him with the police declaring him an absconder and forming teams to trace him even as the sessions court heard his anticipatory bail plea.
Sessions court Judge Mudigoudar, allowing the anticipatory bail plea, directed Karthik to execute a personal bond for Rs 2 lakh along with two solvent sureties and cooperate with police in the probe into the complaint by the starlet who claims to have married him.
The judge had on Saturday last posted the case for on Monday for his order. “We have lot of evidences, so we will challenge this order in the high court on Wednesday. We have decided to go for cancellation of bail on Wednesday,” counsel for the model-turned-actress said.
Opposing the bail plea of Gowda’s son, the actress’ lawyer had told the court earlier that he should not be given relief as he is a very influential person who may destroy evidence.
On September 5, the eighth additional chief metropolitan magistrate court had issued arrest warrant against Karthik. The actress had claimed she and Karthik got married at Gowda’s residence in Mangalore in June in the presence of the driver of Gowda’s son.
She has made several claims in the case giving different twists and turns with her purported telephonic conversation with Karthik being released to the media. The starlet had made the claim about the marriage on the day Karthik got engaged to another woman at Kushalnagar in Kodagu district. Her allegations caused severe embarrassment to the union minister who has maintained law will take its own course.
At a press conference in Delhi on Monday to highlight his ministry’s achievements in the first 100 days of Narendra Modi government, D V Sadanand Gowda said “law will take its own course”.
“I have spoken about it several times. Law will take its own course. I have nothing more to say,” he said. Former Advocate General B V Acharya appeared for Karthik.
To a question when Karthik will appear before the Investigating Officer, Shahul Ahmed, who assisted Acharya said “there was no date given as such and as per the order we will abide by the court’s conditions and as soon as possible he will be appearing.”
