Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai has expressed suspicion that “a large political conspiracy to create political instability” could be at play in the State. “Amid strong rumours of a smear campaign, some Ministers who have got a whiff of this have approached the courts as a precautionary measure to protect their reputation. More Ministers and legislators will likely follow them,” he said on Saturday, defending their “right to legal recourse”.
“Four days after the issue came into the public domain, the woman not coming forward and recording her statement has raised suspicions,” he said. He said the police were investigating the case from all angles, including the allegation by the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of a “deal” of ₹5 crore in the case.
However, Union Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda said the Ministers approaching the courts “is not a good development”. “Everyone will have their future interests in mind and we cannot restrict anybody from seeking legal recourse. But this is not a good development,” he said.
