Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Apr 4: In a significant development in the high-profile sex scandal case, the Special Court for MLAs and MPs on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by former MP Prajwal Revanna seeking to quash rape charges against him. The court has scheduled the next hearing for April 9.

Revanna, grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, had approached the court last month, claiming he had no involvement in a rape case filed by a woman from K R Nagar. The court, however, ruled against him, paving the way for trial proceedings to move forward.

The verdict visibly shook the former Hassan MP, who broke down in the courtroom, folded his hands, and appeared to plead innocence as the judge read out the order.

Revanna is currently in judicial custody at Bengaluru Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara. He was arrested at Bengaluru International Airport in the early hours of May 30, 2024, upon his return from Germany, following public appeals by his grandfather H D Deve Gowda and uncle, union minister H D Kumaraswamy, urging him to face legal proceedings.

The sexual assault case against Revanna is part of a broader investigation into a series of obscene videos. The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is handling the case, has filed a 2,144-page chargesheet detailing serious offences under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including sexual harassment, rape, and criminal intimidation, as well as relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.

Apart from this case, Revanna is facing charges in three other sexual assault cases. His bail pleas have been rejected in all of them.

Meanwhile, his father and JD(S) MLA H D Revanna was also jailed in a related case but is currently out on bail, along with Revanna’s mother Bhavani Revanna. His brother, JD(S) MLC Suraj Revanna, accused of sexually assaulting male party workers, is also out on bail.