Bengaluru: A trial court in Bengaluru on Friday convicted suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna in a high-profile rape case involving his former domestic worker.
The verdict was delivered by Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, with the court set to pronounce the sentence tomorrow.
The case, which sparked massive public outrage, revolves around allegations that Revanna repeatedly raped his maid at a farmhouse owned by his family during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021.
The victim claimed that she was coerced into silence as Revanna had recorded the assaults and used the videos to threaten her. It was only after visuals of similar acts involving multiple women surfaced online in 2024 that she came forward with her complaint. Over 2,900 explicit videos were allegedly circulated on social media platforms, prompting the registration of four separate cases against him.
In April 2025, the trial court formally charged Revanna with serious offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rape by a person in a position of control, repeated rape, outraging modesty, disrobing, voyeurism, criminal intimidation, and destruction of evidence. He also faced charges under the Information Technology Act for violating the privacy of individuals by circulating intimate visuals without consent.
After the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as outrage grew, Revanna fled to Germany. He was arrested upon his return to India on May 31, 2024, and has been in custody ever since. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was constituted to probe the matter filed a comprehensive chargesheet in August last year.
Revanna’s legal team had argued for discharge from the case, claiming that the accusations were politically motivated and lacked credible evidence. The defense also questioned the delay in filing the complaint and the absence of the original recording device. However, the court rejected the discharge plea on April 3, 2025, observing that the victim’s testimony was trustworthy and that these issues would be addressed during the trial.
The court also dismissed the contention that the SIT had no authority to file the chargesheet, noting that procedural issues should not hinder justice. Forensic examination of the videos reportedly confirmed their authenticity, strengthening the prosecution's case.
With Revanna now convicted, all eyes are on the court as it prepares to announce the quantum of punishment tomorrow.
