Daijiworld Media Network – Shimoga (SP)

Shimoga, Mar 31: Relating to the charges of rape and threat to life filed against former food and civil supplies minister and MLA, Hartalu Halappa, the policemen of the criminal intelligence department (CID) filed a charge sheet in the court of the junior magistrate (first class) here on Wednesday March 30.

The charge sheet was filed by CID deputy superintendent of police, Ramakrishna, and inspector, Kolhapuri, under sections 376 and 506 of Indian Penal Code.

Halappa, his personal assistant, Basavaraj, and another person have been named in the charge sheet. The case had drawn lot of attention nationwide, and Halappa had lost his ministerial berth as a consequence thereof.

It may be recalled that a complaint was filed in Vinobanagar police station here on May 3, 2010, alleging that Halappa had raped the wife of his friend, Venkatesh Murthy, when he had stayed at the latter’s home here. The case was later transferred to CID. The CID has since matched the former minister’s blood samples with the stains of semen found on the clothes of the lady in question.