CID investigation is at the discretion of the government. And we will act according to the rules of the council: Horatti

Legislative Council Speaker Basavaraj Horatti on Tuesday said the state government’s decision to hand over the case of BJP member CT Ravi’s alleged insulting comments on Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar to the CID was at the discretion of the government and it did not. It comes under the jurisdiction of the upper house.

Speaking to reporters in Hubli on Tuesday, the Speaker said that the reported mention of an “incident in the Legislative Council” with reference to the CID was incorrect and should not have been mentioned.

Discussing the topic

Mr. Horatti said that the Secretary of the Council and the Advocate General had already discussed the matter and started to find out what the rules of the Council required. As requested by the Commissioner of Police, the issue of allowing spot mahazar is also being discussed in the legislature.

Stating that the matter was a “closed chapter”, the Chairperson clarified that it was related to the complaint filed by Ms. Hebbalkar on which he had already made his decision. “However, if there is any new complaint from any party, including Ms. Hebbalkar, it will be verified and further action will be taken. So far, I have not received any new representation or application from the minister. If submitted, it will be confirmed,” he said.

To a question, he said that if any audio-video documents are submitted, they will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to ascertain its authenticity.

The Speaker said that the Legislative Council had never seen such an incident. “Rather than looking at Ms. Hebbalkar as a minister, we should look at the incident from a woman’s point of view. As a woman, she is deeply hurt. At the same time, the police’s inhumane action against Ravi is also wrong,’ he said.

Not affiliated with the council

He claimed that the CID investigation had nothing to do with the incident. The minister had filed a complaint of atrocities against women, on the basis of which a case was registered and now the CID was ordered to investigate.

He said further decisions will be made based on the advice of the Secretary and the Attorney General.

The chairman also asked the governor for information on the matter and said that he also informed about the matter.