A Bengaluru court recently granted interim anticipatory bail to BJP MLA Munirathna, who faces allegations of intimidating a rape survivor to retract her case against one of his close associates. The ruling, handed down by Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Shivaprasad KB on September 11, permits Munirathna to remain out of custody pending further proceedings.
The court’s decision stipulates that if Munirathna is apprehended in connection with the case filed at Rajarajeshwari Nagar Police Station, he should be released upon posting a personal bond of ₹2 lakh, accompanied by one surety. Additionally, the court imposed conditions on Munirathna, barring him from threatening, intimidating, or tampering with evidence, and restricting contact with prosecution witnesses. Furthermore, he must cooperate with police investigations and remain within the jurisdiction of the concerned Magistrate.
The case originated from a disturbing complaint lodged by a 36-year-old woman. The complainant stated that she first encountered Ravishankar, the MLA’s associate, on Facebook in 2018. As per her account, Ravishankar forcibly took her to a lodge in Dharwad in 2019, where she was allegedly held against her will and raped over a period of three days. She reported the incident in 2021, filing a complaint at Chanakyapuri Police Station in Delhi, citing Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for rape.
The complainant further alleged that Munirathna later became acquainted with her and took her to various resorts, where she was subjected to attempted assaults by other individuals, who also photographed her. She claimed that Munirathna subsequently took her and her sister to Delhi, where he allegedly exerted pressure on them to drop the case against Ravishankar.
The court’s next hearing on the matter is scheduled for September 15, where further developments are anticipated as the investigation progresses.
