Court Rejects Prajwal Revanna’s Plea to Quash Rape Case

The Special Court for MLAs and MPs on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by Prajwal Revanna, the prime accused in the Karnataka obscene video scandal, seeking to drop rape charges against him.

Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, had claimed there was no evidence of his involvement in the case filed by a survivor from KR Nagar. The court has scheduled the next hearing for April 9.

According to sources, Revanna broke down in court when the judge read out the rejection order. He shook his head and folded his hands, appearing to deny the charges. Investigating authorities have already filed a chargesheet against him, and proceedings based on it will begin next week.

Revanna is currently lodged in Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara. He was arrested at the Bengaluru International Airport in the early hours of May 30, 2024, on his return from Germany. His surrender followed public appeals from his grandfather HD Deve Gowda and uncle HD Kumaraswamy, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel.

His father, JD(S) MLA HD Revanna, has also been jailed, while his mother, Bhavani Revanna, is out on bail in a related kidnapping and rape case linked to the same sex video scandal.

Revanna’s younger brother, JD(S) MLC Suraj Revanna—accused of sexually assaulting male party workers—is also currently out on bail. Prajwal Revanna faces four separate cases of sexual assault and rape, with his bail denied in all of them.

He has been charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including:

• 354(A) (Sexual harassment)
• 354(B) (Assault with intent to disrobe)
• 354(C) (Voyeurism)
• 376(2)(N) (Repeated rape by a person in authority)
• 376(2)(K) (Rape by a person in a position of control)
• 506 (Criminal intimidation)
• 201 (Destruction of evidence)

He also faces charges under Section 66(E) of the IT Act (violation of privacy through electronic means).

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the case, submitted a 2,144-page chargesheet to the court in August last year.

(With agency input)