Devaraje Gowda asks CM to hand over Prajwal case to CBI, alleges Deputy CM’s involvement

BENGALURU: Lawyer Devaraje Gowda has directly accused Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar of conspiracy in the pen drive case against Prajwal Revanna, which has created a storm in state politics.

“The SIT is working in favour of the government. Officers get hundreds of calls every day. The CM, Deputy CM and ministers are calling them. There is no hope in getting justice”, he said and asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to hand over the case to the CBI. “Otherwise, we lawyers will fight and ensure it is handed over to the CBI. Their major targets are PM Modi and Kumaraswamy since they have joined hands for the Lok Sabha election”, he said.

Addressing the press conference in the city, Devaraje Gowda said a meeting of higher officials had been called by the Chief Minister and Deputy CM. “In the Prajwal Revanna case, there was discussion on who should be made the accused and who should be released. My fight was against H D Revanna. I thought that I got real justice as a fruit (reward) for my labour. But some mischievous politicians are using these issues as weapons”, he said.

“I have met the SIT chief and the investigating officers twice. They have taken my statement as a witness. I should have told some bitter truths. An FIR was filed against those who shared the obscene videos on a pen drive in Hassan despite an injunction order from the court. The faces of the girls were not blurred, even though it was an obscene video”, he said.

“Karthik came to my office and gave the copy in a pen drive. Karthik is the 88th defendant. When I went to the hearing, they took my statement and gave me some documents. I mentioned a very important point in the statement”, Devaraje Gowda said while showing the video of Karthik visiting his house on his laptop.

“Karthik said in the video that, the main reason for all this is the ‘great leader’ in the present government. The pen drive came to Bengaluru through Puttaraju @ Putti. There are serious allegations that the chief minister met senior officers at a secret location. Congress party leaders are playing lead roles, CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar and another agent are involved. Their agenda was to make me an accused in the case and finish it. I was also offered a cabinet berth”, Devaraje Gowda claimed.

Devaraj Gowda released an audio, in which Congress leader L R Shivarame Gowda spoke first with him and then gave phone to D K Shivakumar. “Shivarame Gowda told me to tell him whatever happens, the government should not be dragged in. DK Shivakumar said ‘Namaskara’ and then asked me, ‘Did you get who is the artist here, and we do not trust SIT’.

“They tried to convince me to change my mind till yesterday evening. When I did not agree, a meeting of senior officers was called yesterday. D K Shivakumar made a phone call at 12.48 pm three days ago. Since JD(S) joined hands with the BJP, they targeted Modi, and they did all this, and they invited me to join them”, he claimed.

The lawyer said the main intension of the Congress is to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls for forming an alliance with the JD(S).