A local magistrate court on Monday granted bail to District Leprosy Officer Rathnakar who was arrested on the charge of sexually harassing women employees in his office.
III Judicial Magistrate of First Class Ashwini Kore granted bail to Rathnakar. The Magistrate directed him not to threaten witnesses and not to leave the city without the permission of the court.
After a complaint that followed circulation of videos and photographs of the incident on the social media, the Woman Police questioned Rathnakar. Then, police recorded statements of three women victims and also of a member of Internal Complaints Committee that inquired into the charge against the official.
The Woman Police arrested Rathnakar on Saturday. The court turned down his application for bail and granted his custody to the police till Monday. Rathnakar’s counsel N. Narasimha Hegde filed bail application under Section 437 of the Criminal Procedure Code on Monday, which was accepted by the Magistrate.
