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Action initiated to revoke suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna's diplomatic passport: MEA
The MEA is waiting for Prajwal Revanna's reply to the showcause notice and will take action after 10-day deadline. Prajwal will land in Bengaluru post-midnight
The ministry of external affairs has initiated action under provisions in the Passport Act for revocation of the diplomatic passport of suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday. The MEA already issued a showcase notice to him and gave him 10 days to reply explaining why his diplomatic passport should not be cancelled.
Prajwal Revanna left India on a diplomatic passport a month ago a day before his name came up in multiple cases of sexual assault. As the Karnataka government formed an SIT to probe into the allegations, Prajwal remained out of the country. The request to revoke his diplomatic passport came from the Karnataka government following which Prajwal is now returning to India.
Prajwal is set to return to Bengaluru post-midnight today and will appear before the SIT on May 31, at 10am. Prajwal could be arrested from the airport itself if his arrest is necessary, Karnataka home minister said.
On Thursday, hundreds of people took out a protest march in Hassan seeking justice for the victims of the alleged sexual abuse by Prajwal.
According to reports, Prajwal booked a flight from Munich to Bengaluru by Lufthansa Airlines which leaves Munich on Thursday afternoon and will land in Bengaluru at 12.05am. Prajwal cancelled flight tickets from Germany twice in the last month, reports said.
The police are on alert ahead of Prajwal's arrival and a team of SIT officials are camping at the airport. On the action ahead, Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara said if Prajwal arrives, he will be arrested and legal process will be initiated. The immigration officials at the airport will detain him and hand him over to the SIT, as there is a lookout notice against him. If he does not arrive, the government will again press for cancelling his passport.
"He (Prajwal) himself said in the video statement that he will appear before SIT on May 31 at 10 am, not us. So I feel that he will come... In case he doesn't, the process will follow like cancelling his passport, we will again request the Interpol through CBI, as the state government cannot do it directly, we will have to do it through Government of India agencies," the minister added.
On why the SIT did not track Prajwal's location abroad while it came to public knowledge that his video was recorded and released from Hungary, the minister said not even the Central government can go and arrest him. “We cannot go there and arrest, even the central government cannot do. That's the reason Interpol's help was sought and a Blue Corner notice was issued. There is a procedure for everything,” the minister said.
