Puttur cheating case: Pratibha Kulai seeks cancellation of accused’s bail; protest planned in Kalladka
Mangalore Today News Network
Mangaluru, Jan 2, 2026: An application will be filed seeking the cancellation of bail granted by the court to Krishna J. Rao, the accused in a case involving alleged cheating of a young woman in Puttur after fathering her child and refusing to marry her, said State Backward Classes Commission member Pratibha Kulai. She added that the door for compromise has been closed and that a protest, including a naming ceremony for the child, will be held at Kalladka on January 24.
Speaking at a press conference at the Mangaluru Press Club on Friday, Kulai addressed the media along with the aggrieved woman, her child, and the woman’s parents.
She said that although a DNA test has conclusively established that Krishna J. Rao is the father of the child, he is refusing to marry the woman. Instead, he has proposed a compromise by offering ₹50 lakh as compensation. Neither the woman nor her family is willing to accept this offer, she said, adding that people from all sections of society are extending their support to the victim.
Kulai stated that they had remained silent so far in the hope that, after securing bail, Krishna J. Rao would marry the woman and give the child the status of a father. However, she alleged that his mother has now filed defamation cases against her and the victim’s mother. “In reality, it is the dignity of the young woman and her family that has been tarnished,” she said.
She criticised leaders and political figures along the coast for merely speaking about unity within Hindu society without stepping forward to help those trapped in such situations. Hence, she said, voices from other communities are also being invited to speak up. In this context, she announced that the protest would begin from Kalladka, the hometown of Dr Prabhakar Bhat, a strong political and organisational centre, and that the child’s naming ceremony would be held there on January 24.
Kulai said it was difficult to understand why Krishna J. Rao was rejecting the woman. “They were in a relationship for eight years, and after a child was born out of that relationship, there is no logic in abandoning her,” she said. She stressed that the woman is not helpless, but has been deeply distressed and has even had suicidal thoughts. “We are all standing by her and will proceed in accordance with the court’s decision,” she added.
‘Let Puthila conduct her wedding’
Referring to Puttur MLA Arun Kumar Puthila, Kulai said she held him in high regard and recalled how he had organised a grand celestial wedding for Lord Srinivasa. “The deity’s wedding happened long ago. Now it is the victimised young woman who needs to be married,” she said, urging Puthila to help facilitate her marriage with Krishna J. Rao.
She alleged that during compromise talks, the accused’s parents placed unacceptable conditions: that the child be sent to a shelter home, after which he would marry the woman only to later divorce her, and that ₹50 lakh would be paid as compensation. They also demanded that all cases against him be withdrawn first. “We do not want money; we want social justice,” Kulai said, throwing a challenge that she herself would pay ₹50 lakh if Krishna J. Rao married the woman and accepted responsibility as her husband.
Voices of the affected
“I made a mistake. Everything went wrong. Now if someone asks who the father of my child is, what should I say? Thinking about it makes me feel like dying,” the aggrieved woman said.
“My daughter made a mistake, and he did too. The DNA test has proved that this is their child. We want justice. He should marry my daughter and lead a proper family life,” said the victim’s mother.