Prajwal Revanna challenges conviction in rape case in Karnataka HC

Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna has approached the Karnataka High Court appealing against his conviction in a rape case.

A special court that convicted Revanna last month had sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his life and imposed fines, in one of the four sexual abuse and rape cases against him.

The Special Court for MPs/MLAs, Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, who sentenced the convicted politician under various sections of the IPC on August 2, had imposed a total fine of Rs 11.50 lakh on him, and had said Rs 11.25 lakh from this fine amount will be paid to the victim.

Revanna, who was arrested in May last year after returning from Germany, is contesting the verdict on several grounds, including what he claims are contradictions in the survivor's testimony and inconsistencies in the evidence produced by the prosecution.

The case in which Prajwal has been sentenced pertains to the one involving 48-year-old woman who was working as a help at the family's Gannikada farmhouse in Hassan district's Holenarasipura. She was allegedly raped twice -- at Hassan farm house and Bengaluru residence-- in 2021 and the act was recorded by the accused on his mobile phone.

The trial court had relied on multiple pieces of evidence, including video footage, DNA analysis of hair strands, and biological traces found on the victim's clothing, to convict him.

In his petition, Revanna has argued that the complainant's statement does not align with her police complaint. He has also questioned the credibility of certain evidence, pointing out, for example, that stains on a mattress examined in May 2024 had allegedly gone uncleaned since the time of the assault, said to have occurred between January 2021 and January 2022.

His plea further cites the delay in filing the complaint and the fact that the survivor had later attended a housewarming event at the same farmhouse in 2023.

Revanna was booked under sections 376(2)(k) (being in a position of control or dominance over a woman, commits rape on such woman), 376 (2)(n) (repeated rape on the same woman), 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 354C (voyeurism), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 201 (disappearance of evidence) of the IPC, and Section 66E (violation of privacy) of the IT Act, by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which probed the case.

The special court has sentenced Revanna to imprisonment for life and Rs 5 lakhs fine, under section 376(2)(k), and imprisonment for life which shall mean remainder of natural life along with Rs 5 lakh fine under section 376(2)(n).

He has been also sentenced for rigorous imprisonment for 3 years and Rs 25,000 fine under section 354A, rigorous imprisonment for 7 years and Rs 50,000 fine under section 354B, rigorous imprisonment for 3 years and Rs 25,000 fine under section 354C.

Rigorous imprisonment has also been sentenced for Revanna for 2 years and fine of Rs10,000 under section 506, imprisonment of 3 years and fine of Rs 25,000 under section 201, and imprisonment of 3 years and fine of Rs 25,000 under section 66 E of IT Act.

Only last week, the High Court dismissed another petition by Revanna in which he sought to transfer two other cases from the judge currently hearing them, alleging bias.

The court has not yet scheduled a hearing for his latest appeal.

Four separate cases have been registered against Revanna, who is facing charges of rape and sexual harassment, and the SIT was tasked with probing cases.

The cases came to light after pen-drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving Revanna were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls on April 26, 2024.