Just days after actor Prakash Raj addressed the press in the Dharmasthala row, he has found himself in legal trouble again. A Bengaluru magistrate’s court has reportedly issued a non-bailable warrant against him after he failed to appear in connection with a case involving the alleged possession of multiple voter ID cards.
Non-bailable warrant on Prakash Raj issued
News agency ANI states that the 48th Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) court in Bengaluru issued a non-bailable warrant after Prakash allegedly failed to respond to repeated judicial summons. The non-bailable warrant could lead to legal issues and raise questions about his official registration status. The court noted that Prakash remained absent and failed to acknowledge the legal directives.
According to an India Today report, in 2019, advocate Dileep Kumar filed a complaint at the Halasuru Gate Police Station in Bengaluru alleging that Prakash was registered to vote simultaneously in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Under the Election Commission of India mandate, a citizen is permitted to maintain voter registration only in a single place.
However, in the past, Prakash has denied these claims, clarifying that he votes only from TN. The actor’s legal counsel is expected to approach the higher judiciary to seek a stay on the warrant or apply for urgent bail.
The Dharmasthala issue
Prakash’s name was recently also brought up after C N Chinnaiah, who had made allegations of ‘multiple murders, rapes and burials’ in the temple town of Dharmasthala, filed a writ petition to the High Court and mentioned the actor’s name. He told the press last week that activist Girish Mattannavar approached him and said that Chinnaiah wanted to speak with him. “As a citizen, what should I do? I got information from a fellow about whom everybody is speculating. Immediately, I contacted SIT chief Pronab Mohanty,” said Prakash, according to PTI.
The writ petition was filed before the Karnataka High Court, in which Chinnaiah claimed he was used as part of a larger conspiracy involving funds to malign Dharmasthala. He also mentioned Prakash and a phone conversation he had with him in the petition. The actor said, “So I am coming here and saying, yes, he spoke to me. And I immediately gave it to the SIT chief, which you can cross-check with him. This is where it ends. That’s my responsibility and accountability.”
Prakash last starred in Kaalidas 2 in Tamil and Seetha Payanam, S Saraswati and Dacoit: A Love Story in Telugu. He has numerous films lined up, including Drishyam 3 in Hindi, Varanasi and Spirit in Telugu, and Jana Nayagan in Tamil.
