A special court for elected representatives in Bengaluru on Saturday sentenced former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna to life-term in a rape case.
He faced charges of raping his house maid at his farmhouse in Hassan and in Bengaluru.
Special Court Judge Gajanana Bhat, who convicted the former lawmaker on Friday, pronounced the verdict on Saturday.
Special public prosecutors Ashok Nayak and BN Jagadish told media persons that the former Hassan MP will spend his entire life time in jail, according to the verdict.
The judge also ordered the accused to pay a fine of Rs 11.50 lakh out of which Rs 11.25 lakh must go to the victim. The judge awarded the maximum punishment considering that he committed the heinous crime, while holding the influential position as a lawmaker of Parliament.
He is also battling other similar cases of rape, sexual assault and harassment at the same court based on complaints from other victims.
The 35-year-old politician, grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and nephew of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, was investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) following allegations of sexually assaulting a domestic help. His father, HD Revanna, a JD(S) MLA and former minister, also faced sexual harassment charges in a separate case.
Prajwal Revanna was arrested on May 31, 2024, upon returning to India after nearly five weeks overseas. The case gained national attention after pen drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving him surfaced in Hassan and other areas just before the April 26 Lok Sabha polls. He lost the election as the NDA candidate from Hassan to the Congress candidate Shreyas Patel.
The Congress, in a post on X, taunted the BJP saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for him in Hassan, last year.
Former Congress MP and film star Ramya hailed the verdict and posted on X that the “law is the same for all. Crimes against women will get the harshest punishment.”
He faced charges of raping his house maid at his farmhouse in Hassan and in Bengaluru.
Special Court Judge Gajanana Bhat, who convicted the former lawmaker on Friday, pronounced the verdict on Saturday.
Special public prosecutors Ashok Nayak and BN Jagadish told media persons that the former Hassan MP will spend his entire life time in jail, according to the verdict.
The judge also ordered the accused to pay a fine of Rs 11.50 lakh out of which Rs 11.25 lakh must go to the victim. The judge awarded the maximum punishment considering that he committed the heinous crime, while holding the influential position as a lawmaker of Parliament.
He is also battling other similar cases of rape, sexual assault and harassment at the same court based on complaints from other victims.
The 35-year-old politician, grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and nephew of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, was investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) following allegations of sexually assaulting a domestic help. His father, HD Revanna, a JD(S) MLA and former minister, also faced sexual harassment charges in a separate case.
Prajwal Revanna was arrested on May 31, 2024, upon returning to India after nearly five weeks overseas. The case gained national attention after pen drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving him surfaced in Hassan and other areas just before the April 26 Lok Sabha polls. He lost the election as the NDA candidate from Hassan to the Congress candidate Shreyas Patel.
The Congress, in a post on X, taunted the BJP saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for him in Hassan, last year.
Former Congress MP and film star Ramya hailed the verdict and posted on X that the “law is the same for all. Crimes against women will get the harshest punishment.”
