Obscene video & rape case: Bengaluru Special Court records final statement of Prajwal Revanna

Bengaluru, Aug 2 The Special Court for MPs/MLAs in Bengaluru on Saturday recorded the final statement of former JD(S) MP and convict Prajwal Revanna in connection with the obscene video and rape case. The court is scheduled to pronounce the quantum of punishment at 2.45 P.M. on Saturday. The conviction was delivered on Friday.

Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, turned emotional and broke down before the court while making his final statement ahead of the sentencing.

Prajwal Revanna said, "Why did this case come out during the elections? When I was an MP, no complaints were lodged against me. They now say I committed multiple sexual assaults. Why didn’t anyone come forward then? Why did the case surface only during the election?"

He further alleged, "The police have done this. This is politically-motivated. I will accept the decision of the court. I haven’t seen my parents for six months."

When Judge Santosh Bhat asked Prajwal about his educational qualifications, Prajwal responded that he had studied Mechanical Engineering. "You can verify my academic records. I am a meritorious student. My only fault is that I rose too quickly in politics. I won’t blame the media," he added.

The court also recorded the final arguments of the two Special Public Prosecutors representing the prosecution and the statement of the senior counsel representing Prajwal Revanna.

In a major development, the Special Court for MPs/MLAs in Bengaluru on Friday pronounced that former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna was guilty in the obscene video and rape case.

Judge Santhosh Bhat announced the verdict.

The case in question pertains to a rape complaint and other charges filed by a domestic worker from K.R. Nagar against Prajwal Revanna. The court has reviewed 26 pieces of evidence in connection with the case. Prajwal Revanna faces three other similar cases.

Videos allegedly showing Prajwal Revanna sexually assaulting women and recording the acts surfaced during the Lok Sabha election period. Following polling, Prajwal fled the country.

A victim from Holenarasipura initially filed a police complaint against him. Upon his return to Bengaluru on May 31, 2024, Prajwal was arrested by Bengaluru police.

His return came after public appeals from former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and his uncle Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.

Prajwal has been lodged in Bengaluru Central Jail for 14 months and multiple bail pleas have been outrightly rejected by all courts.

One of the videos that caused widespread outrage purportedly shows the alleged sexual assault of an elderly domestic worker at a farmhouse in Holenarasipura. In the video, the woman is seen pleading with Prajwal to spare her, stating that she had served his father and other family elders.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed cases under IPC Sections 376(2)(n) (repeated rape on the same woman), 506 (criminal intimidation), 354A(1) (unwelcome physical contact and advances, sexual demands), 354B (use of criminal force with intent to disrobe), 354C (voyeurism—capturing images of a woman engaged in a private act without her consent), along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.

Police sources stated that they have collected stronger evidences in this particular case. They have recorded the statement of the victim, collected the samples of semen of Prajwal Revanna from the clothes of the victim and they have also got the video of the sexual assault.

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