Former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna has been convicted of sexual abuse and rape case by a special court in Bengaluru on Friday. The court announced that sentencing will take place on Saturday, 2 August, and that it would determine the quantum of punishment then. Revanna, 34, is the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and son of former Karnataka minister H.D. Revanna.
The conviction stems from the first FIR filed against Revanna in April 2024, at the Holenarasipura Rural Police Station in Hassan district. A woman who worked as domestic help at the Revanna family’s farmhouse accused him of repeatedly raping her since 2021.
According to the complaint, Revanna allegedly sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions and threatened to release video recordings of the abuse if she spoke to anyone. “He told me my life would be ruined if I ever told anyone,” the woman stated during the trial.
The court had framed charges against Prajwal Revanna under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rape, voyeurism, criminal intimidation, and the unlawful circulation of intimate images. A total of 26 witnesses were examined during the trial. Revanna was also personally questioned by the court. Although the hearings concluded on 18 July, the judgment was deferred on 30 July due to the need for legal clarifications.
Revanna is also the prime accused in three additional criminal cases registered in 2024. These cases emerged after more than 2,000 obscene videos, allegedly showing sexual abuse involving multiple women, were leaked and circulated on social media platforms.
He was arrested on 31 May 2024, following national outrage over the videos and mounting legal pressure. The JD(S), which fielded him from the Hassan constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, suspended him from the party shortly thereafter. He ultimately lost his seat in the election.
