The Karnataka High Court refused to quash criminal proceedings against advocate Rajesh KSN from Mangaluru, in an alleged rape case registered against him by a law intern. "...there is no warrant of interference at the hands of this court at this juncture to intervene, interdict or obliterate allegations of rape, preparation and attempt for an offence against the petitioner, as any interference by this court would be rendering plaudits to the wanton lust and vicious appetite of the petitioner," said Justice M Nagaprasanna on Tuesday, July 11.
"If a naive student of law enters the office of an advocate as an intern, and gets to face these horrendous acts, it would have a chilling effect on the entire practice and profession. Therefore, it is for the accused to come clean in a full-blown trial," the Justice added, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
What happened actually?
Mangaluru Women's Police Station filed a chargesheet against the accused, based on the complaint filed by the law intern, a second-year student at a college in Mangaluru. She required work-cum-internship and joined the office of the accused in August 2021. The accused is said to have befriended the intern and communicated through WhatsApp messages. He used to continuously watch her and send her CCTV footage and pictures of her private moments, like combing her hair, washing her face and so on, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
As the days passed, the accused began taking certain liberties like making comments about her clothes and the sexuality involved in such dresses. On the evening of September 25, 2021, when there was no one in the office except the girl, he called her to his cabin, pulled her hands and kissed her on her forehead. He then held her tight and made her sit on his lap and began to unbutton her dress. He also moved his hands to her private parts and started undressing himself. Traumatised, she pushed him and ran out. While doing so, the accused allegedly threatened her that if she revealed anything to anyone, she would be dead, the report read.
After hearing the parties, the judge dismissed the petition filed by the accused advocate Rajesh, questioning the proceedings. "Outraging the girl's modesty and all other acts performed by the petitioner would undoubtedly mean intention, preparation and attempt. I decline to accept that the commission of offence should be examined by this court based on the chargesheet filed and the statements made by the witnesses," the judge said.
