Ravi filed 7-page-long plaint against Hebbalkar, says Horatti

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Chairman of the Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti on Sunday said that BJP MLC CT Ravi had also registered a complaint pertaining to the case in which he is alleged to have hurled a slur at Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar. He told mediapersons that the official complaint submitted by Ravi was some seven pages, adding that Hebbalkar had similarly submitted a complaint earlier. “Both of them have lodged complaints. Ravi has submitted a seven-page-long complaint.

I noticed that Laxmi Hebbalkar also submitted a complaint. After both complaints are perused and cross-checked with their earlier complaints, we can forward it to the police. We will observe what they said and take action based on our rules,” Horatti said. The Council Chairman has advised both parties to close the chapter on the row but the cases were recently handed to Central Investigation Department (CID) by Home Minister G Parameshwara.

Know the case? A controversy broke out on the last day of the winter session (December 19) at Belagavi’s Suvarna Vidhana Soudha. Congress ministers and BJP MLCs began arguing on the Council floor during which Ravi is alleged to have used a misogynistic slur against Hebbalkar. Following this, complaints were registered with the Horatti, Assembly Speaker UT Khader and the Hirebagewadi Police Station under which Suvarna Vidhana Soudha comes.

Hirebagewadi is a village on the outskirts of Belagavi but is rather close to the Soudha building. However, matters escalated when CT Ravi and his BJP compatriots staged a protest against Hebbalkar and other Congress ministers. During this time, Hebbalkar’s local Belagavi-based supporters are alleged to have attempted to assault Ravi. It is to be noted that the minister is a Belagavi native and her constituency is Belagavi Rural, which includes Hirebagewadi.

Ravi was detained by Hirebagewadi police later and a case was registered against. He was also alleged to have been moved from one spot to another the entirety of the night and manhandled by the cops on the night of December 19. The next day, the Karnataka High Court (HC) granted him bail.