Bengaluru Court Sentences Former MP Prajwal Revanna to Life Imprisonment For Rape of Domestic Help
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: A trial court in Bengaluru on Saturday (August 2) sentenced former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna to life imprisonment in one of the three rape cases filed against him last year.
In the present case, Revanna was convicted by the court on Friday (August 1) of raping his domestic help and recording videos of the act before the quantum of punishment was announced a day later, on Saturday.
In an order was passed by additional city civil and sessions judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, Revanna was sentenced to life imprisonment and was also ordered by the court to pay Rs. 10 lakh as compensation, reported Bar and Bench.
This is the first trial to be completed among the three rape cases and one sexual harassment case against Revanna.
During the hearing on sentencing, Revanna questioned the timing of the allegations against him by saying they had surfaced during the elections.
Special public prosecutor (SPP) BN Jagadeesha had said that stringent and rigorous punishment must be imposed on Revanna and demanded life imprisonment in the case, said the Bar and Bench report.
Revanna is a former MP from Hassan and the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. The cases against the ex-MP came to light in April last year when multiple videos showed instances of what looked like him committing forceful and non-consensual sexual acts.
In many videos, it appeared he recorded women without their consent and who appeared to be under some form of duress.
Prajwal had left India just as the videos were publicly circulated but returned on May 31, when he was immediately arrested by the SIT.
The special court earlier this year framed charges against Revanna under sections 376(2)(k) (raping a woman over whom one has control or power), 376(2)(n) (repeatedly raping the same woman), 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (disrobing a woman), 354C (voyeurism), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the then Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66E (violation of privacy) of the Information Technology Act, the Times of India reported.
The trial against Revanna began on May 2, 2025.
This is a developing story.
This article went live on August second, two thousand twenty five, at fifty-two minutes past four in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.