Hassan sex abuse case | MEA processing request to cancel Prajwal Revanna's diplomatic passport

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting the Hassan MP, accused of sexual abuse, has his diplomatic passport cancelled.

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs has started processing a request from the Government of Karnakata to cancel the passport issued to Prajwal Revanna, a member of the outgoing Lok Sabha, who has been suspended from his party, Janata Dal (Secular), in the wake of the allegation of rape and sexual harassment against him.

Sources in New Delhi said that the MEA had received a letter from the state government in Karnataka for the cancellation of the diplomatic passport issued to Prajwal Revanna. The sources added that the request of the state government was “being processed”.

Section 10 (2) (h) of the Passport Act 1967 has provisions for the cancellation of a passport “if it is brought to the notice of the passport authority that a warrant or summons for the appearance, or a warrant for the arrest, of the holder of the passport or travel document has been issued by a court under any law for the time being in force”.

The Special Court for Elected Representatives issued an arrest warrant against Prajwal on May 18, acting on a request of the Special Investigation Team, which was constituted to probe the allegations against the Lok Sabha member and the grandson of the former prime minister, H D Devegowda. This was followed by the request of the state government to the MEA for cancellation of the passport issued to him.

The MEA had on May 2 confirmed that Prajwal had travelled to Germany on a diplomatic passport. Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the MEA, said that no visa note was issued for the Lok Sabha MP as it was not required for the holder of a diplomatic passport for travelling to Germany.

Jaiswal had also stated that Revanna had not sought political clearance for his travel to Germany.

“As far as the matter of revoking a diplomatic passport of a person is concerned, it comes under the Passport Act of 1967. And as per its provisions, a direction should come from the court. Only then it can be revoked. So far, we haven't received any such direction from any court,” the MEA spokesperson had told journalists on May 2.