Vulgar remarks against Ranya Rao: High Court stays FIR against Karnataka MLA
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday stayed proceedings against expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal in connection with allegedly making vulgar comments about Kannada actress Ranya Rao, who is currently lodged in Bengaluru Central Jail in a gold smuggling case.
A bench headed by Justice Pradeep Singh Yerur passed the order while hearing a petition by MLA Yatnal seeking to quash the FIR filed against him by Bengaluru Police.
The court also directed the prosecution to file its response to the quash petition while granting a stay on the criminal proceedings related to the FIR. The matter has been adjourned to April 28.
Reacting to the development, MLA Yatnal took to the social media platform X, posting, “Satyameva Jayate.”
Yatnal, while speaking to the media about the gold smuggling case, had alleged that the accused actress had hidden gold in various ways to smuggle it. He used objectionable and derogatory language in his statement.
Following his remarks, a relative of Ranya Rao filed a police complaint against MLA Yatnal at the High Grounds police station in Bengaluru. Based on the complaint, the police registered an FIR against him under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.
The complainant’s counsel, Mahesh Y.N., argued in court that MLA Yatnal should not be granted any relief in the case, as the charges against him are serious and pertain to insulting the modesty of a woman.
“The case is still under investigation, and at this stage, a stay order should not be granted. MLA Yatnal’s statement in the media has harmed her dignity. However, his counsel is presenting his remarks as being directed at two ministers instead. As a legislator, Yatnal’s statement was not respectful,” Mahesh argued.
Yatnal’s counsel, Venkatesh Dalvayi, contended that the case was filed by a relative of Ranya Rao and that she herself was unaware of the complaint.
The court issued interim orders, staying the criminal proceedings against MLA Yatnal until further notice.
Ranya Rao, the stepdaughter of senior police officer Ramchandra Rao, was arrested on March 3 for allegedly smuggling 14.2 kilograms of gold, valued at over Rs 12.56 crore. The case is presently being investigated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The state government has set up a special team led by a senior IAS officer to look into the role of DGP Ramachandra Rao.