IAS officer death case: Contempt plea against state govt filed

Bengaluru, March 28: A contempt of court petition against Karnataka government and three others was filed in the High Court on Saturday by the husband of a woman IAS officer who was a batchmate of upright bureaucrat D K Ravi into whose mysterious death a CBI probe has been ordered.

The petition has been filed against the state of Karnataka represented by the Chief Secretary and other respondents for "violating the court stay by leaking" information pertaining to investigation on the "unnatural death" Ravi whose death had triggered a national outrage.

The Additional Chief Secretary (Home), the DGP and the CID are the other respondents.

The court, in an emergent notice served to the state government on March 22, had restrained it from publishing any interim report of the CID, which was probing the case, or making any public statement pertaining to investigation into the death of Ravi.

"Yes. It was lodged with the court today; it may come up for hearing on Tuesday or Wednesday. It is for leaking information," Manu Kulkarni, counsel for the petitioner, Sudir Reddy, husband of the woman IAS officer, said.

"The respondents are restrained from making or publishing any interim report or making any public statement pertaining to investigation being conducted with regard the unnatural death of D K Ravi, pending disposal of this writ petition," Justice Abdul Nazeer had said at a special hearing of a petition on the matter in his residence on March 22.

Facing rising public outcry and pressure from the Opposition, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced in the Assembly on Monday a CBI probe into Ravi's death which the police had said was prima facie a case of suicide.

35-year old Ravi was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his flat on March 16, with his family suspecting foul play and demanding a CBI investigation.

PTI