Karnataka High Court Rejects Former MP Prajwal Revanna's Plea to Suspend Life Sentence in Rape Case

Four separate cases have been registered against Revanna.

Bengaluru:

The Karnataka High Court has declined to suspend the life sentence given to former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna in one of the four rape cases filed against him.

On Wednesday, a division bench comprising Justice K S Mudagal and Justice Venkatesh Naik T determined that considering the severity of the offences, multiple pending cases, and potential witness tampering, bail could not be granted.

The judges highlighted that Revanna was not granted bail during the trial, and the victim had delayed reporting the assault due to his influential position.

Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, representing Revanna, contended that the conviction relied on insufficient evidence and was influenced by a "media trial." He challenged the electronic evidence's reliability, noted delays in the FIR filing, pointed out procedural issues in forensic investigations, and claimed the defense lacked adequate opportunity to argue for a reduced sentence. He also suggested political motivation behind the accusations.

Special Public Prosecutor Professor Ravivarma Kumar opposed the plea, arguing that releasing Revanna on bail would threaten the victim and witnesses, referencing previous abduction attempts.

Kumar emphasized the gravity of repeated sexual offences against a vulnerable household worker during lockdown and Revanna's alleged non-cooperation, "including failure to surrender his phone," as strong reasons against granting bail.

The prosecution informed the court that the case had progressed efficiently and the appeal could be heard promptly, following Supreme Court directives to prioritize cases involving MPs and MLAs.

Kumar stressed that following conviction, the legal principle changes to "jail is the rule, not bail" and that the victim's testimony alone was legally sufficient to sustain the conviction.

The bench noted that the defense arguments primarily addressed the appeal's merits and that alleged evidence gaps should only be examined during the final hearing. It clarified that the High Court would not reevaluate each piece of evidence at this stage, and found no prima facie illegality in the trial court's decision.

After rejecting his bail request, the High Court has scheduled his appeal for final hearing on January 12, 2026.

This particular case involves a 48-year-old domestic worker employed at the family's Gannikada farmhouse in Hassan district's Holenarasipura.

She was allegedly raped twice—at both the Hassan farm house and Bengaluru residence—in 2021, with the accused reportedly recording the acts on his mobile phone.

The trial court based its conviction on multiple evidence sources, including video footage, DNA analysis of hair strands, and biological traces found on the victim's clothing.

Revanna faces four separate cases involving charges of rape and sexual harassment, with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) assigned to investigate these matters.

These cases emerged when pen drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving Revanna were circulated in Hassan before the Lok Sabha polls on April 26, 2024.