Ahead of the sentencing, the 34-year-old grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda broke down in court and pleaded for leniency, stating that he is a BE Mechanical graduate who had always passed on merit and had “not committed any wrongdoing”
Prajwal Revanna was convicted on Friday for raping a 48-year-old woman who was employed as domestic help at the family's farmhouse in Hassan district. File pic
Former Janata Dal (Secular) Member of Parliament (MP) Prajwal Revanna was sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life by a Special Court in Bengaluru on Saturday, a day after he was convicted in one of the four sexual abuse and rape cases against him.
Ahead of the sentencing, the 34-year-old grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda broke down in court and pleaded for leniency, stating that he is a BE Mechanical graduate who had always passed on merit and had “not committed any wrongdoing”, reported PTI.
While delivering the verdict, Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat of the Special Court for MPs/MLAs also imposed a total fine of Rs 11.50 lakh on Revanna. Of this, Rs 11.25 lakh is to be paid to the survivor.
Revanna was convicted on Friday for raping a 48-year-old woman who was employed as domestic help at his family's Gannikada farmhouse in Holenarasipura in Hassan district of Karnataka. According to the prosecution, she was raped twice — once at the farmhouse and again at a residence in Bengaluru in 2021 — and the acts were recorded by Revanna on his mobile phone, PTI reported.
Speaking to reporters, Special Public Prosecutor Ashok Nayak said the court awarded the maximum sentence, taking into account the gravity of the crime and the fact that the offences were committed when Revanna was a sitting MP.
"The court has sentenced life imprisonment for Prajwal Revanna, and as per law, he should be in prison for the full life. The prosecution had invoked various sections, and for all sections, the court has sentenced separate punishments and fines. On the whole, the fine amount is Rs 11,50,000, and a major share of it, Rs 11,25,000, should be given to the victim as per the court order," Nayak said.
Additional Special Public Prosecutor BN Jagadeesha added that the accused is liable to remain in prison for the rest of his life under Section 376(2)(n) of the IPC.
"Our argument was about rape and atrocity by a powerful man on an innocent woman and the social stigma," Jagadeesha said, adding that Revanna has the right to appeal and may challenge the court's verdict.
Earlier in the day, while the prosecution pushed for the maximum sentence, Revanna sought a lighter punishment, asserting his innocence and blaming the accusations on his “fast” rise in politics.
He wept before the court, saying: “They say that I have raped multiple women, but none of the women have come out voluntarily to complain, they came six days before the election (Lok Sabha polls last year)... the prosecution side brought them purposefully and made them give a complaint.”
He further questioned the timing and the authenticity of the complaint. “The woman (victim) had not complained to anyone, including her husband or kin... she came and gave a complaint only after certain videos were circulated,” he told the court.
Stating that he respected the court’s judgement, he added, “I have a family, I have not seen my mother and father for six months now... please give me a lesser sentence is what I request the court.”
“The only mistake I made in my life is growing fast in politics,” Revanna said.
He was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on May 31 last year at Bengaluru Airport upon arrival from Germany, in connection with a case registered at the Holenarasipura Town Police Station. He was taken into custody and escorted by women officers to the SIT office.
The SIT had filed a 1,632-page charge sheet in September 2024, naming 113 witnesses. Revanna was booked under IPC sections 376(2)(k) (rape by a person in position of dominance), 376(2)(n) (repeated rape), 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe), 354C (voyeurism), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), along with Section 66E (violation of privacy) of the IT Act.
Special Public Prosecutor Nayak said the prosecution presented 26 witnesses and 180 documents. “The main evidence is of the victim. We relied not only on oral evidence, but also on digital and technical evidence, the DNA report, and the Forensic Sciences Laboratory report,” he said.
“The clothes that were worn by the victim during the rape were also identified, and the Investigation Officer was successful in seizing them even after three years. Also, digital evidence played a role as the accused himself had recorded the video,” he added.
Four separate cases have been registered against Revanna, who is facing charges of rape and sexual harassment. The cases surfaced after pen drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving him were circulated in Hassan ahead of the Lok Sabha polls held on April 26, 2024.
Revanna, who contested from the Hassan parliamentary constituency, lost the election and was subsequently suspended from the JD(S) following the filing of the cases.
(With PTI inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
