Karnataka HC reserves verdict on Prajwal Revanna's bail plea in sexual assault case

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday announced its verdict on the bail plea of ​​former Janata Dal (S) MP Prajwal Revanna, against whom allegations of sexual assault and rape have been levelled.

A single-judge bench headed by M. Nagaprasanna had earlier heard arguments on Revanna's application in the first case and two applications for interim bail based on subsequent appeals.

During the hearing, the court instructed the lawyers not to mention the names of the victims and instead to point to specific details in the case documents.

Senior advocate Prabhuling K Navadgi, representing Revanna, outlined the timeline of events and stressed that the woman, who had previously complained about her wrongful eviction from her home, had not initially made any allegations of sexual misconduct against Revanna.

Navadgi explained that the allegations primarily focused on Revanna's father, pointing out that the victim had worked for the family for four years.

He also raised concerns about the four-year delay in filing the complaint and questioned the reasons why the incident was not reported earlier.

He argued that while the woman claimed to have found the courage to speak out after her husband confronted her with a video, she did not initially make any allegations of rape under Section 376 of the IPC.

Navadgi further claimed that the forensic reports did not establish any connection between Revanna and the alleged video, highlighting “inconsistencies” in the statements of the victim and her daughter.

Navadgi denied that any incriminating videos were found on Revanna's phone. He also argued that the phone in question belonged to Revanna's driver Karthik and that the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) report was inconclusive.

On the allegations under Section 66E of the IT Act, Navadgi claimed that these allegations were not directly against Revanna. He also cited Supreme Court judgements on delayed complaints and argued that no satisfactory explanation for the delay was given in this case.

Special Public Prosecutor Professor Ravivarma Kumar, representing the State, argued that the victim was threatened by Revanna, which explains the delay in filing the complaint. Kumar stressed that the threats were documented in the victim's further statement and claimed that forensic evidence supported the allegations against Revanna, especially with regard to the victim's daughter.

While the Supreme Court questioned the findings of the FSL report, Kumar maintained that the delay in filing the complaint was justified due to the complainant's threats and attempts to silence the victim.

Kumar also argued that Revanna did not hand over his phone, which contained important information, and that he fled the country to avoid justice.

Based on these arguments, the court reserved its decision on the bail applications.

Revanna had failed in his bid to retain Hassan's parliamentary seat in the recent elections. The sexual abuse cases came to light after USB sticks containing explicit videos involving Prajwal Revanna were reportedly circulated in Hassan ahead of the Lok Sabha elections there on April 26.

JD(S) suspended him from the party due to the cases pending against him.

In the first case, filed against him on April 28 at Holenarasipura police station in Hassan, Revanna is accused of sexually harassing a 47-year-old former domestic worker. He is listed as the second accused, while his father and local MP, HD Revanna, is the main accused.

The second case against Prajwal Revanna was filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on May 1 after a 44-year-old former member of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat accused him of repeatedly raping her.

The third case relates to the rape of a woman in her 60s from KR Nagara, Mysuru, who was also working as a domestic help. The victim's son had initially filed a complaint of kidnapping at KR Nagar police station on May 2, accusing him of abducting his mother. In this kidnapping case, the SIT had arrested HD Revanna, who is currently out on bail, and questioned Prajwal's mother Bhavani Revanna, who is out on bail.

The fourth case against Prajwal Revanna was registered on June 12 at the Cybercrime police station of the CID in Bengaluru. He is accused of sexual harassment. In this case, he was arrested on charges of sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation and invasion of privacy under the IT Act. The complainant in this case is a woman who was allegedly sexually harassed during a video call.