Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna Convicted in Rape Case, Sentencing to Be Announced on Aug 2, 2025

Key Points:

Former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna, grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, was convicted on August 1, 2025 in one of the four sexual assault and rape cases registered against him. The verdict was delivered by Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat at the Special Court for criminal cases against former and sitting MPs and MLAs in Bengaluru. The court is scheduled to pronounce the quantum of punishment on August 2, 2025, Saturday.

This case marks the first conviction among the multiple sexual abuse cases filed against the 33-year-old former MP from Hassan. Prajwal faces three rape cases and one sexual harassment case, all of which are being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Karnataka government in April 2024 after thousands of obscene videos allegedly recorded by him surfaced ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The conviction pertains to a 2021 incident involving a 48-year-old woman, a former domestic help at the Revanna family's farmhouse in Gannikada, Hassan district. She alleged that Prajwal Revanna raped her twice , and the acts were allegedly recorded on his mobile phone. The trial court framed multiple charges under Section 376(2)(k) (rape by a person in a position of control or dominance) and Section 376(2)(n) (repeated rape) of the Indian Penal Code.

The trial began on May 2, 2025, and was concluded in just over two months with daily hearings. Senior advocates Ashok Nayak and B.N. Jagadeesha served as special public prosecutor in the case.

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Timeline of Events

On April 27, 2024, the Karnataka government announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations against Prajwal Revanna after a pen drive surfaced containing over 1,000 explicit videos allegedly linked to him.

On April 28–29, 2024, a domestic worker filed a sexual harassment complaint against Prajwal. Shortly after, she went missing under suspicious circumstances but was later rescued by the SIT 

By May 2, 2024, Prajwal was booked on rape charges, and a lookout circular was issued as he fled to Germany to evade investigation. Later, he was arrested in Bengaluru upon his return to India and remanded to police custody.

On August 23, 2024, the SIT filed the first chargesheet naming Prajwal for rape and his father, H.D. Revanna, for sexual harassment. Subsequently, on November 2, 2024, forensic reports confirmed that Prajwal’s DNA matched evidence found on the victim’s clothes. A day earlier, the Supreme Court rejected his bail plea, citing concerns that his influence could interfere with the trial proceedings.

The trial in the case began on May 2, 2025, and concluded on July 18, 2025, with the court reserving its verdict. Finally, on August 1, 2025, the Special Court convicted Prajwal Revanna in one of the rape cases.

Political and Family Background

Prajwal Revanna is the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and son of H.D. Revanna, a sitting MLA. His mother, Bhavani Revanna, has served on the Hassan Zila Panchayat, while his uncle H.D. Kumaraswamy is a JD(S) leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister. The JD(S), currently allied with the BJP-led NDA, suspended Prajwal from the party following the allegations.

Revanna was first elected to Parliament in 2019 from Hassan but lost his seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Following the scandal, he fled the country before returning under pressure from family and law enforcement authorities. [Rh/VP]

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