Former Janata Dal (Secular) Lok Sabha member from Hassan constituency, Prajwal Revanna, is facing a multitude of serious accusations of rape and sexual harassment. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to investigate these allegations has uncovered a disturbing pattern of alleged abuse of power and influence by Revanna and his family. According to SIT sources, the victims were reportedly intimidated into silence due to the family’s considerable influence and fear of repercussions.
The SIT has received complaints from four survivors alleging rape by Prajwal. One complaint also accuses Prajwal and his father, JDS MLA HD Revanna, of sexual assault and kidnapping. Additionally, a separate complaint of alleged kidnapping has been filed against Bhavani Revanna, Prajwal’s mother.
The chargesheet filed by the SIT outlines the severity of the allegations against Prajwal. He faces charges under Section 376 (2) (K) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for committing rape while in a position of control over the victim, and Section 376 (2) (n) for committing rape repeatedly against the same woman. He is also charged under Section 354 for outraging the modesty of a woman and various sections of the Information Technology Act 2000.
The SIT has already filed two chargesheets based on complaints from two survivors, both farm laborers who also served as housemaids at the Revanna family’s properties in Hassan and Bengaluru. The first chargesheet, submitted on August 24, 2024, spans 2,144 pages and includes statements from 150 witnesses. It accuses HD Revanna of sexually assaulting a domestic worker at his Holenarasipura home from 2019 to 2022 and Prajwal of raping the same woman at their Basavanagudi residence in Bengaluru. The chargesheet also alleges that Prajwal coerced the woman’s daughter to undress during video calls that he secretly recorded.
HD Revanna has also been accused of kidnapping a housemaid and holding her captive at a Revanna family farmhouse. She later escaped and filed a complaint against him. Bhavani Revanna, Prajwal’s mother and HD Revanna’s wife, has been implicated in the abduction and her bail application is currently pending in the Supreme Court.
Beyond the initial complaints, additional allegations have emerged against Prajwal. A JDS worker accused him of raping her in his official quarters in Hassan and subsequently blackmailing her for further sexual encounters. Another woman, a homemaker seeking school admission for her son, alleged that Prajwal sexually harassed her during a meeting. She filed an FIR after multiple other complaints were made against the former JDS MP.
Prajwal fled to Germany shortly after the Lok Sabha elections on April 26, 2024, but returned to India on May 31st after his grandfather, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, urged him to surrender. Upon arrival at the Bengaluru International Airport, he was immediately arrested.
The SIT is actively investigating all the allegations against Prajwal Revanna and his family members. The gravity of the charges and the ongoing investigation highlight the critical need for a thorough and impartial inquiry to ensure justice for the victims.
