BREAKING | FORMER MP PRAJWAL REVANNA SENTENCED TO LIFE IN BENGALURU RAPE CASE:

A Special Court in Bengaluru has sentenced Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Member of Parliament, Prajwal Revanna, to life imprisonment following his conviction in the first rape case registered against him at the Holenarasipura Rural Police Station in Hassan District. The verdict, delivered by Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, came after the court found Revanna guilty on all charges in connection with the sexual assault of a woman who had worked as a domestic help at the Revanna family’s farmhouse.

The case pertains to a series of incidents that began during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021. According to the prosecution, the victim was repeatedly raped by Revanna at various locations and the assaults were filmed without her consent. These videos were later used by Revanna to threaten, blackmail, and silence the victim, thereby preventing her from filing a complaint. The matter came to light following an investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is currently probing three separate cases registered against the former MP. Revanna was arrested by the SIT at Bengaluru Airport on May 30 of the previous year upon his return from Germany, in connection with Crime No.107/2024 registered at the Holenarasipura Town Police Station.

On April 3, the Sessions Court had framed charges against Revanna under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. These included Sections 376(2)(k) (rape by a person in a position of dominance), 376(2)(n) (repeated rape), 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe a woman), 354C (voyeurism), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence). He was also charged under Section 66(e) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with violation of privacy through electronic means.

Upon conviction, Revanna was sentenced as follows: life imprisonment under Section 376(2)(k) along with a fine of Rs.5,00,000, and an additional life sentence under Section 376(2)(n), to last for the remainder of his natural life, along with another Rs.5,00,000 fine. In default of payment in each case, he is to undergo one additional year of imprisonment. For the other offences, he was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 3 years under Section 354A, 7 years under Section 354B, 3 years under Section 354C, 2 years under Section 506, 3 years under Section 201, and 3 years under Section 66(e) of the IT Act. Fines ranging from Rs.10,000 to Rs.50,000 were imposed for each of these counts, with additional simple imprisonment ordered in case of non-payment.

The court directed that all sentences are to run concurrently. Furthermore, compensation of Rs.11,25,000 is to be paid to the victim out of the total fine amount collected, with the remainder to be deposited with the state.

This conviction marks a significant development in the high-profile case and signals the judiciary’s firm stance on crimes involving sexual violence and abuse of power.