Prajwal Revanna, former JD(S) leader and ex-MP from Hassan, was convicted on Friday by a special court for elected representatives in a rape case involving a domestic worker.
The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Saturday.
Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, was found guilty in one of the four rape cases filed against him in 2023. The case pertains to the rape of a domestic help at his farmhouse in Holenarasipura, located in Karnataka’s Hassan district.
Emotional Reaction After Verdict
Following the announcement of the verdict, Revanna reportedly broke down in court, visibly emotional and weeping as the ruling was read out.
The case was registered at the Holenarasipura Rural Police Station. The judgment had originally been scheduled for July 30, but was delayed by Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, who sought clarification on technical matters before delivering Friday’s decision.
Case Background
The case gained national attention in April 2024, after obscene videos allegedly showing Revanna sexually abusing multiple women began circulating online. The scandal broke just weeks ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where Revanna contested and lost by over 40,000 votes.
Revanna became the prime accused in four separate cases, all involving sexual assault and misconduct. In June 2024, a fourth FIR was filed against him by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police, which was formed specifically to probe the series of allegations.
Charges & Allegations
Three of the cases against Revanna include charges under Section 376 of the IPC (rape). The fourth case includes sections related to sexual harassment, stalking, criminal intimidation, and the non-consensual recording and distribution of private images.
In November 2024, the Supreme Court rejected Revanna’s plea seeking to overturn a Karnataka High Court order that had denied him both regular and anticipatory bail.
A bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma dismissed the appeal outright. When senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Revanna, argued that Section 376 was not mentioned in the original complaint, Justice Trivedi noted that multiple complaints had been filed.
“You are so powerful,” Justice Trivedi remarked pointedly during the hearing.
Arrest & Legal Proceedings
Revanna was arrested on May 31, 2024, by the CID’s SIT at Bengaluru airport upon returning from Germany, where he had stayed for 35 days, allegedly to evade arrest. His return came amid public and political pressure over the explosive allegations.
The special court is expected to announce the sentence on Saturday, which could have lasting legal and political implications for Revanna and his family, long seen as influential figures in Karnataka’s political landscape.
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