Bengaluru court convicts former Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna in rape case

The case involves a 48-year-old woman who alleged that Prajwal Revanna raped her twice in 2021 and filmed the acts on his mobile device

A Special Court in Bengaluru on Friday convicted former Member of Parliament and suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna in one of four rape and sexual abuse cases filed against him. The court will announce the quantum of sentence on Saturday, reported news agency PTI.

 

The case

The case involves a 48-year-old woman employed as domestic help at Revanna’s family farmhouse in Gannikada, Holenarasipura, Hassan district. She alleged that Revanna raped her twice in 2021 and filmed the acts on his phone.

 

She also claimed that she did not report it at first because he threatened to make the videos public if she spoke out. She resigned from her job and remained silent until videos involving multiple women were leaked online last year, prompting her to file a complaint, Bar and Bench reported.

Background

Four separate cases have been filed against Revanna, alleging sexual assault and harassment. The cases were registered after reports indicated that over 2,900 such videos were circulated online, allegedly depicting sexual assault of several women. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe the allegations.

 

Revanna was also charged under the Information Technology Act, 2008, for allegedly violating privacy by circulating private images without consent, according to Bar and Bench.

 

Revanna, grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, was suspended from JD(S) following the allegations. Amid mounting public outrage, Revanna left for Germany. He was arrested on May 31, 2024 upon his return to Bengaluru and has been in judicial custody since, the report added.

 

Charged

The SIT filed its chargesheet in August 2024. Revanna sought to be discharged from the case, arguing lack of evidence and questioning the delay in filing the complaint. The court, however, rejected his plea in April 2025, stating there was enough material to frame charges and that such objections were matters for trial, not pre-trial discharge.

 

Validated

The court noted that the complainant’s testimony was credible and that forensic analysis had confirmed the authenticity of the video evidence. It also dismissed Revanna’s argument that the SIT lacked authority to file a chargesheet, reported Bar and Bench.