Bengaluru court convicts ex-JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna in first of 4 rape cases

A Special Court for People’s Representatives in Bengaluru on Friday convicted former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna in a rape case registered against him in 2024. The case involves the sexual assault of a 48-year-old woman who worked as a domestic help at the family’s farmhouse in Holenarasipura, located in Karnataka’s Hassan district. This is the first conviction in the four sexual abuse cases registered against Revanna.

The woman alleged that she was raped twice in 2021 at the Gannikada farmhouse, and the act was recorded on a mobile phone. She filed a police complaint on May 8, 2024. Prior to that, she was rescued from a farmhouse near Mysuru on May 5, where she was allegedly kept in confinement after being identified in videos that were circulated publicly. The FIR was registered at Holenarasipura Rural Police Station.

Following the emergence of explicit videos ahead of the April 26 Lok Sabha elections in Hassan, the Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe multiple allegations of rape and sexual assault against Revanna. He was arrested on May 31, 2024, after returning from Germany, and was taken into custody based on a case filed at Holenarasipura Town Police Station.

The trial in the current case began on May 2, 2025, with the survivor’s statement being recorded. A 1,632-page chargesheet was submitted in December 2024, containing statements from 113 witnesses, forensic evidence, and video material. Charges were officially framed on April 3, 2025, under various IPC sections, including rape by a person in a position of control, sexual harassment, and criminal intimidation.

Revanna, 34, is the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. He was suspended from JD(S) following the filing of cases. He lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Hassan. The court has reserved the announcement of punishment for Saturday, August 2. The three remaining cases against Revanna are currently under investigation by the SIT.