The Special Court for MPs/MLAs in Bengaluru on Saturday recorded the final statement of former JD(S) MP and convict Prajwal Revanna in connection with the obscene video and rape case. The court is scheduled to pronounce the quantum of punishment at 2.45 P.M. on Saturday. The conviction was delivered on Friday.
Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, turned emotional and broke down before the court while making his final statement ahead of the sentencing.
Prajwal Revanna said, "Why did this case come out during the elections? When I was an MP, no complaints were lodged against me. They now say I committed multiple sexual assaults. Why didn't anyone come forward then? Why did the case surface only during the election?"
When Judge Santosh Bhat asked Prajwal about his educational qualifications, Prajwal responded that he had studied Mechanical Engineering. "You can verify my academic records. I am a meritorious student. My only fault is that I rose too quickly in politics. I won't blame the media," he added.
The court also recorded the final arguments of the two Special Public Prosecutors representing the prosecution and the statement of the senior counsel representing Prajwal Revanna.
The court on Friday pronounced Revanna guilty in the obscene video and rape case. Judge Santhosh Gajanana Bhat delivered the verdict. The court is scheduled to announce the quantum of punishment on Saturday, after allowing the convict, Prajwal Revanna, and his counsel to make their final submissions.
Prajwal Revanna was produced before the court, and as soon as the verdict was pronounced, he was seen with tears in his eyes, wiping them while seated inside the courtroom. After stepping out of the court hall, he sat down in a chair in visible despair and broke down, unable to process the shock.
The court deferred the judgment on July 30, citing the need for certain clarifications. After seeking inputs from both sides and issuing directions, the matter was adjourned until this day.
He was arrested last year and has been in jail for 14 months.
The case in question pertains to a rape complaint and other charges filed by a domestic worker from K.R. Nagar against Prajwal Revanna. The court has reviewed 26 pieces of evidence in connection with the case. Prajwal Revanna faces three other similar cases.
Videos allegedly showing Prajwal Revanna sexually assaulting women and recording the acts surfaced during the 2024 Lok Sabha election period.
Following this, Prajwal fled the country. A victim from Holenarasipura initially filed a police complaint against him. Upon his return to Bengaluru on May 31, 2024, he was arrested by the Bengaluru Police.
His return came after public appeals from former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Prajwal was lodged in Bengaluru Central Jail, and his multiple bail pleas were outrightly rejected by all courts.
One of the videos that caused widespread outrage during the election period shows the alleged sexual assault on an elderly domestic worker at a farmhouse in Holenarasipura.
In the video, the woman is seen pleading with Prajwal to spare her, stating that she had served food to his father and other family elders.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had filed cases under IPC Sections 376(2)(n) (repeated rape on the same woman), 506 (criminal intimidation), 354A(1) (unwelcome physical contact and advances, sexual demands), 354B (use of criminal force with intent to disrobe), 354C (voyeurism -- capturing images of a woman engaged in a private act without her consent), along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
Police had collected strong evidence in this particular case. They recorded the statement of the victim, collected the samples of semen of Prajwal Revanna from the clothes of the victim, and also obtained the video of the sexual assault.
(With inputs from IANS)
