Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna Gets Life Sentence for Rape by Bengaluru Special Court
Former Hassan MP and Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life by a Special Court in Bengaluru. The court found him guilty in a rape case filed under Section 376(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The conviction is related to the first rape case registered at the Holenarasipura Rural Police Station in Hassan district. The 34-year-old politician is the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda.
The verdict was pronounced under multiple sections of the IPC, including:
Section 376(2)(k): Rape by a person in a position of dominance
Section 376(2)(n): Repeated rape
Section 354A: Sexual harassment
Section 354B: Assault or use of force with intent to disrobe
Section 354C: Voyeurism
Section 506: Criminal intimidation
Section 201: Causing disappearance of evidence
Section 66(e) of the Information Technology Act
The Special Court awarded the following punishments for each charge:
Section 376(2)(k): Life imprisonment, ₹5 lakh fine, 1-year additional imprisonment if unpaid
Section 376(2)(n): Life imprisonment till end of natural life, ₹5 lakh fine, 1-year in default
Section 354A: 3 years rigorous imprisonment, ₹25,000 fine, 6 months simple imprisonment if unpaid
Section 354B: 7 years RI, ₹50,000 fine, 6 months SI in default
Section 354C: 3 years RI, ₹25,000 fine, 6 months SI in default
Section 506: 2 years RI, ₹10,000 fine, 3 months SI in default
Section 201: 3 years RI, ₹25,000 fine, 6 months SI in default
Section 66(e) IT Act: 3 years RI, ₹25,000 fine, 6 months SI in default
All punishments will run concurrently. The court also directed a total compensation of ₹11.25 lakh, a major portion of which is to be paid to the survivor, and the rest to the State.
The verdict was delivered by Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, Additional City Civil and Session Judge of the Special Court handling criminal cases against MPs and MLAs.
The case, titled State by SIT vs Prajwal Revanna, was prosecuted by Special Public Prosecutors B N Jagadeesha and Ashok Naik. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) acted as the complainant.
The case was based on a complaint filed by a 48-year-old woman, who worked at Gannikada farmhouse, a property owned by Revanna’s family in Holenarasipura. She accused Revanna of raping her twice in 2021—first at the farmhouse and later at the family’s home in Bengaluru. The alleged acts were reportedly recorded on his mobile phone.
Revanna was arrested in May 2024, following his return from Germany.
Before the sentencing, Revanna made an emotional plea, stating that the charges were politically motivated. “I have served as an MP and worked sincerely. There were no such allegations while I was in office. These claims surfaced just before the elections,” he told the court.
He further said he was a meritorious student with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and highlighted that he had not seen his parents for six months, urging the court to show leniency.
He also noted that the complainant did not initially inform her family or husband about the rape, and only came forward after certain videos were leaked, prompting her to file a complaint.
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