Former MP and suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna was found guilty on Friday by a special court in Bengaluru in one of the four rape and sexual abuse cases filed against him. The court said it would announce the punishment on Saturday.
This case is about a 48-year-old woman who worked as domestic help at the Revanna family’s Gannikada farmhouse in Holenarasipura, Hassan district. She accused Revanna of raping her twice in 2021 and said he also recorded the acts on his mobile phone.
Prajwal Revanna is the grandson of former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda. Several cases of sexual assault and harassment have been filed against him, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to look into the allegations.
These cases became public just before the Lok Sabha elections in April 2024 when pen drives containing explicit videos allegedly showing Revanna were circulated in Hassan. He was arrested by the SIT on May 31, 2024, at Bengaluru Airport after he returned from Germany. The arrest was linked to a case registered at Holenarasipura Town Police Station.
Revanna had contested the 2024 elections from the Hassan constituency but lost. After the cases came to light, the JD(S) suspended him from the party.
The judge, Santosh Gajanan Bhat, said the court had carefully looked at the evidence. “We will pronounce the sentence tomorrow,” he said.
The victim’s family told reporters they were hoping for strict punishment. “We want justice. No other woman should suffer like this,” said a family member.
Revanna’s lawyers said they plan to appeal the verdict, but they would wait for the court’s decision on the sentence before taking further steps.
