Special Court issues Proclamation Order against the accused

Mysuru: A Special Court in city issued a Proclamation Order against the accused in a minor’s rape case, after he dodged the hearing for the seventh consecutive time yesterday.

The Proclamation Order was issued against Mahesh Gowda, the accused in a minor’s rape case who failed to appear before the Court though the Judge has passed stringent orders to the Police to produce. The case which came up for hearing yesterday has been adjourned to Dec. 21 where the Court is likely to pronounce Mahesh Gowda as a proclaimed offender and make a declaration to that effect.

The case is in its final stage and the judgment was first reserved on Nov. 23 but Mahesh Gowda’s counsel petitioned the Court that his client could not attend the hearing because he was hospitalised in Bengaluru and the Court adjourned the hearing to Nov. 29. Mahesh and his counsel didn’t turn up, the Judge posted the hearing to Dec. 4. The judgment was again deferred to Dec. 6, Dec. 11, Dec. 13 and Dec. 16 continuously as Mahesh remained absconding.

An arrest warrant has also been issued against Mahesh Gowda and the first surety giver. Meanwhile, another surety giver sought a month’s time to bring Mahesh to the Court, but the Judge turned down his petition and posted the matter to Dec. 21.

The accused Mahesh Gowda who had projected himself as an influential person was accused of raping a minor who had delivered a child and even the DNA tests have proved that it is Mahesh’s child. The case is being heard by Sixth Additional District and Sessions Court Judge Vijayakumar M. Pauthi and the trial has been completed.

Section 82 in The Code Of Criminal Procedure, 1973 Proclamation for person absconding: If any Court has reason to believe (whether after taking evidence or not) that any person against whom a warrant has been issued by it has absconded or is concealing himself so that such warrant cannot be executed, such Court may publish a written proclamation requiring him to appear at a specified place and at a specified time not less than thirty days from the date of publishing such proclamation.