Prajwal Revanna.
Former MP Prajwal Revanna Convicted in Rape Case: BENGALURU – A trial court in Bengaluru today delivered a stunning verdict that sent shockwaves through Karnataka’s political landscape, convicting former Member of Parliament Prajwal Revanna in a rape case. The conviction, handed down by Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, is the first in a series of cases against the suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader stemming from a high-profile sexual assault scandal. The court is scheduled to hear arguments on the quantum of sentence on Saturday.
Prajwal Revanna, the 34-year-old grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, had served as the Lok Sabha MP for the Hassan constituency from 2019 to 2024. As the scion of one of Karnataka’s most influential political families, he was once seen as a rising star in the state’s politics. His father, H.D. Revanna, is a former minister and sitting MLA, and his uncle, H.D. Kumaraswamy, is a two-time former Chief Minister of Karnataka. The conviction marks a dramatic fall from grace for the politician.
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The case for which Revanna was convicted involves allegations from a former maid who worked at a farmhouse belonging to the Revanna family. The woman claimed that she was repeatedly raped by Prajwal Revanna, with the first incident allegedly occurring during the 2021 COVID-19 lockdown. She further alleged that Revanna recorded the assaults and used the videos to threaten her, preventing her from speaking out. She eventually quit her job but remained silent until reports of a massive leak of explicit videos surfaced earlier this year.
In April 2024, thousands of videos allegedly depicting the sexual assault of numerous women, with Prajwal Revanna as the perpetrator, were widely circulated online. This public outcry prompted the victim to file a formal complaint. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe the allegations, leading to four separate cases being registered against Revanna.
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Following the initial outcry and just after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Revanna fled to Germany. He was arrested upon his return to India on May 31, 2024, and has been in jail ever since.
The SIT, in its chargesheet filed in August 2024, presented four volumes of material evidence, including forensic analysis of the videos that confirmed their authenticity. This evidence was crucial in countering Revanna’s attempt to be discharged from the case. His legal team had argued that the allegations were part of a conspiracy to tarnish his reputation and pointed to the delay in reporting the crime as a sign of its falsity.
However, the trial court, in April of this year, rejected Revanna’s discharge application, stating that there was sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. The court, at the time, acknowledged that while the delay in reporting and the failure to recover the original device used for recording were issues for the prosecution to address, they did not warrant dismissing the case outright. The court found the testimony of the complainant to be “trustworthy enough to have the case proceed.”
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The conviction comes after a rapid trial, and the verdict today holds Revanna accountable for multiple criminal charges under the Indian Penal Code, including repeated rape, voyeurism, and criminal intimidation. He was also found guilty of violating the Information Technology Act by circulating private images without consent.
As the court prepares to announce the sentence on Saturday, the verdict stands as a significant moment in a case that has captivated and scandalized the nation, shining a harsh light on power, privilege, and the pursuit of justice.
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