Kodagu homestay owner counters U.S. woman’s allegations against him in rape case

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A view of the High Court of Karnataka. | Photo Credit: File photo

The Karnataka High Court on Monday (June 8) summoned police records on the criminal case registered with the Kutta police in Kodagu district on the alleged rape of a 33-year-old U.S. citizen at a homestay by its housekeeper in April. This follows a petition filed by the homestay’s owner, who has questioned the registration of the case against him.

The 55-year-old owner, accused of forcing the survivor not to disclose the alleged incident of rape committed by the 45-year-old housekeeper, a native of Jharkhand, has made a counter-claim that the victim had never mentioned the alleged incident to him, his wife, or mother, who together manage the homestay.

The petitioner has also sought compensation from the police for illegally keeping him in judicial custody for 14 days, till he was released on bail, without any material against him and without serving him with the grounds for his arrest.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna, before whom the petition came up for hearing, has adjourned the further hearing on the petition while asking the Additional Public Prosecutor to secure the police records to consider the plea of interim order of stay of criminal proceedings against the petitioner.

On the allegation that the petitioner had forced her to stay even after the alleged crime, told her not to inform the police, and prevented her from communicating with others over phone, it has been claimed in the petition that her complaint itself states that “she had not disclosed the incident of rape” to him when he met her near the swimming pool to share a WiFi password on April 12 between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. after the alleged sexual assault, claimed to be committed inside a tent between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The petition pointed out that the victim had come to the petitioner’s house around 10 p.m. on April 12 with a request to stay at a safe place with a lock and not a tent, where she earlier opted to stay. She was then allowed to stay in a roo