BENGALURU – A special court in Bengaluru on Friday, found suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna guilty of rape. This was a major decision. A 48-year-old lady who worked as a maid at his family’s farmhouse near Hassan filed the case. The amount of punishment for the former MP is likely to be made public today, Saturday, August 2, 2025.
This conviction is a big step forward because it is the first of four criminal proceedings against Revanna to reach a conclusion. The experiment, which started in December 2024, ended after only seven months.
Ashok Nayak, the special prosecutor, confirmed the conviction by saying, “The court has found Prajwal Revanna guilty in the rape case.” The verdict has been given, and the amount of penalty will be made public on Saturday. I want to say one thing at this point: we are glad that the victim got justice. I also want to say congratulations to the Special Investigation Team (SIT). This conviction teaches us a lot.
The court ruled Revanna guilty on all counts included in the charge sheet, according to Additional Public Prosecutor H.K. Jagadish. The court carefully looked at 118 witnesses included in the charge sheet. During the trial, 28 of these witnesses were questioned, and 180 documents were submitted. Jagadish said that the survivor’s testimony and important digital evidence were very important in getting the conviction. “Her testimony was seen as an important piece of proof.” He went on to say, “The court also gave the digital evidence against Prajwal Revanna the weight it deserved.”
Jagadish also talked about how Revanna tried to slow down the legal procedure by going to the High Court twice. The first time, he said he hadn’t gotten copies of the films, and the second time, he said he didn’t have a lawyer. The High Court upheld the lower court’s orders and turned down both attempts.
Information about the case and the charges
On April 28, 2024, the Cyber Crime Station in Bengaluru filed the First Information Report (FIR) for this case. The woman said that Revanna sexually assaulted her many times between 2021 and 2024, starting during the COVID-19 lockdown. She further said that Revanna filmed these attacks and used the videos to threaten her with silence. She decided to come forward since a lot of obscene movies that supposedly involved Revanna were posted online earlier this year, just before the Lok Sabha elections.
The Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology (IT) Act both have parts that apply to the allegations against Prajwal Revanna. These are:
Section 376(2)(k) IPC: A person in a position of power or influence over a woman rapes her.
Section 376(2)(n) IPC: Rape of the same lady over and over again.
Section 354A IPC: sexual harassment (unwanted physical advances).
Section 354B IPC: Assault with the goal of taking off clothes.
Section 354C IPC: voyeurism, or taking pictures of private actions without permission.
IPC Section 506: Threatening someone with a crime.
Section 201 of the IPC: Trying to get rid of or hide evidence.
Section 66E of the IT Act says that capturing and sharing private content without permission is a violation of privacy.
The SIT filed a chargesheet in August 2024. It had 123 pieces of evidence and was more than 1,600 pages long. A high-ranking SIT official said that the survivor had given a saree as physical evidence. Forensic investigation showed that there were sperm traces on it, which were very important to the trial. The SIT also gave the court call records, CCTV footage, and forensic lab results that backed up the video evidence.
The court rejected the defense’s claim that the SIT didn’t have the power to file the chargesheet, saying that procedural issues didn’t weaken the evidence. The court also turned down the defense’s requests for multiple adjournments and charges of political vendetta and video tampering. In the end, the court said that the survivor’s statement was supported by strong medical, digital, and forensic evidence.
Legal Consequences and Cases Still Going On
Both the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court turned down Revanna’s request for bail. He is the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. He was taken into custody at Kempegowda International Airport on May 31, 2024, when he got back from Germany. He had gone there just after the Lok Sabha elections, when there was a lot of public anger over the leaked tapes.
Prajwal Revanna might get at least 10 years in prison under IPC Sections 376(2)(k) and 376(2)(n). He could even get life in prison, which means the rest of his natural life. If more charges are brought, the person might get more prison time, which could be anything from six months to seven years.
This conviction only applies to the first case. There is currently a second rape trial going on with a former member of the Zilla Panchayat. There are also ongoing investigations into two other accusations made by women who say Revanna sexually assaulted them and filmed them without their permission.
The court will meet again today to decide Revanna’s sentence and tell everyone what it is.