In a significant disclosure, the Karnataka government has revealed that a major portion of funds allocated to Special Investigation Teams (SITs) was consumed by legal expenses in the high-profile sexual assault cases involving former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna. The data, presented in the state legislature, shows a stark imbalance between investigation costs and legal fees.
Breakdown of SIT Expenditure
Home Minister G Parameshwara provided the details on Monday in response to an unstarred question raised by BJP MLA Munirathna during the winter session. The total legal and investigation expenses incurred by various SITs formed since 2023 amounted to Rs 4.54 crore.
Out of this total, a staggering Rs 2.96 crore, which is 65.19 per cent, was spent solely on legal battles related to the Prajwal Revanna cases. These funds were used to fight the cases across three levels of the judiciary: the trial court, the Karnataka High Court, and the Supreme Court.
Where Did the Money for Revanna Cases Go?
The total cost encompassing both investigation and legal fees for the cases against Prajwal Revanna stood at Rs 3.29 crore. A detailed breakdown of the legal expenses reveals:
- Rs 2.41 crore was paid as fees to Special Public Prosecutor Ravivarma Kumar.
- Rs 28.37 lakh was paid to SPP B N Jagadish for representing the state in the High Court.
- Rs 15.5 lakh was the fee for senior advocate Kapil Sibal for appearing in the Supreme Court.
- Rs 12.7 lakh was spent on litigation in the trial court.
In sharp contrast, the actual funds spent on investigating the sexual assault cases against Revanna were significantly lower, amounting to Rs 33.91 lakh.
Expenses on Other Major SIT Probes
The government's response also shed light on the costs incurred in other sensitive investigations handled by SITs.
For the Bitcoin scam cases, the SIT spent Rs 39.98 lakh on investigation over three years. An additional Rs 29.75 lakh was spent as legal fees in the lower court and the high court.
Interestingly, an SIT was also formed to investigate a criminal complaint and rape allegations against the very MLA who raised the question, Munirathna. In this case, Rs 23.52 lakh was spent on the investigation over two years, with a special prosecutor's fee of Rs 21.08 lakh for representing the state in the trial court.
The total investigation and legal expenses for the SIT probing the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam were Rs 8.83 lakh.
Ongoing Investigations and Non-Disclosure
The government clarified that the expenses for three other active SITs have not been disclosed as their investigations are still ongoing. These SITs are probing:
- The police sub-inspector recruitment scam.
- The voter ID theft case.
- The Dharmasthala secret burials case.
The disclosure has sparked discussions about the allocation of resources in high-stakes legal proceedings and the substantial financial burden of protracted court battles on state funds.
