Mysuru: Fearing stringent punishment, a rape accused stayed away from the Court on the day of the judgement. Angered by this, the Court has now deferred the date of judgement and asked the Police to produce the accused on that day.

Interestingly, this is for the fourth time in less than two weeks the judge is deferring the judgement as the accused has remained absconding. It is the first time a Court in Mysuru is encountering such a situation wherein both the accused and the surety-giver are absconding. The Court has now issued a warrant against him and order to forfeit the bail bond.

The accused has been identified as K.J. Mahesh Gowda who was the President of Mysore District BSR Congress. He had projected himself as an influential person by posting photos with senior Police Officers on his Facebook page. Mahesh was accused of raping a minor.

Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) B.C. Shivarudraswamy said that Mahesh Gowda has been accused of impregnating a minor girl in 2014. He faces charges under provisions of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Vidyaranyapuram Police had filed a chargesheet against him.

“The case is in its final stage. The judgment was first reserved on Nov. 23 but his counsel petitioned the Court that his client could not attend the hearing because he was hospitalised in Bengaluru. The Court adjourned the hearing to Nov. 29 but Mahesh Gowda and counsel didn’t turn up,” the SPP said.

“Subsequently, a warrant was issued after posting the hearing to Dec. 4. Police were asked to produce him before the Court. However, Mahesh Gowda remained absconding. The judgment was again postponed to Dec. 6 after the Court directed the cops to produce him but Police failed as his whereabouts are not known. The Court had to adjourn the judgment to Dec. 11,” the SPP added.

Shivarudraswamy claimed the forensic science report is pointing fingers at Mahesh as being the father of the baby girl following a DNA test and he may have absconded fearing he would be proven guilty.

The case was heard by Sixth Additional District Judge Vijayakumar Paule and he was to deliver the final judgement on Dec. 6. When the judge took up the case, the Police told him that the accused was not present in the Court hall.

This angered the judge who deferred the judgement day to Dec. 11 and sternly told the Police to produce the accused on that day.

If the accused does not attend the Court on Dec. 11, the Court is likely to convict him in his absence and then declare him a proclaimed offender. Mahesh will lose all his civil rights once he is declared a proclaimed offender.