Former MP Prajwal Revanna gets life imprisonment in 2021 rape case

Prajwal Revanna, former MP and grandson of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, was on Saturday sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court in Bengaluru in a 2021 rape case.

 

The special court for MPs/MLAs Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat also imposed a total fine of ₹10 lakh on the suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader. The court said that the victim will be given a compensation of Rs 7 lakh.

 

The court had on Friday convicted Revanna in one of the four sexual abuse and rape cases registered against him. This case pertains to the rape of a 48-year-old woman, who was working as domestic help at the family's Gannikada farmhouse in Holenarasipura, Hassan district. She was raped twice, at the farmhouse in Hassan and at a residence in Bengaluru, in 2021, according to a report by PTI.

 

Revanna was found guilty of rape, sexual harassment, voyeurism, destruction of evidence and offences under the Information Technology Act. 

 

According to PTI, Revanna told the court that he had done nothing wrong and that his only mistake was his "fast" rise in politics. He broke down in court as he appealed to the judge for a lesser sentence.

 

Stating that he will bow down to the court's conviction, Prajwal said, "I have a family, I have not seen my mother and father for six months now.....please give me a lesser sentence is what I request the court."

 

 "...they say that I have raped multiple women, but none of the women have come out voluntarily to complain, they came six days prior to election (Lok Sabha polls last year)... the prosecution side brought them purposefully and made them file a complaint," Prajwal told the court.

 

Pointing out that the woman had not informed anyone, including her husband or relatives, about the rape, he said she came forward with a complaint only after certain videos were circulated.

 

Prajwal was arrested in May last year upon his arrival from Germany.