Prajwal Revanna gets life term for rape, fined Rs 10 lakh

A special court in Bengaluru on Saturday sentenced former MP and suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna to life imprisonment in connection with a rape case. A fine of Rs 10 lakh has also been imposed on Revanna. The court said that the victim will be given a compensation of Rs 7 lakh. The verdict was delivered just 14 months after the case was registered, with the trial concluding at a remarkable pace.The case, which was registered at the Cyber Crime Station of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), accused Revanna of raping the woman on two occasions and recording the act. A 40-member SIT submitted a five-volume report running into 1,800 pages. According to the prosecution, 26 witnesses were cross-examined and 180 documents examined over 38 hearings.. Revanna, a three-time MP, still faces trial in three other cases arising from the same investigation.
The sexual assault cases against Prajwal Revanna, who was a candidate for Lok Sabha polls from Hassan, came to the forefront after a pen drive containing explicit videos, filmed by Revanna was reportedly circulated ahead of the elections.The trial commenced on December 31, 2024. Over the next seven months, the court examined 23 witnesses and reviewed key forensic science laboratory (FSL) reports of the video clips, as well as spot inspection reports from the scene of the crime.
The prosecution, during the sentencing hearing, had urged the court to impose a life term, citing the gravity of the offence.The special court for MPs/MLAs in Bengaluru had framed charges against Revanna under various sections, including rape, voyeurism, criminal intimidation, and unlawful circulation of intimate images. He had been convicted by judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat on Friday and the sentence was pronounced on Saturday. 
The sex scandal involving Revanna, who was the MP from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka, had emerged a day after the seat - where he was a candidate - went to the polls on April 26 last year. Revanna, who left for Germany soon after the videos emerged, was later suspended by the JDS, which contested the Lok Sabha polls in an alliance with the BJP.He lost the elections and was arrested in May last year after he returned from Germany. 
Earlier in the day, Revanna broke down in court wept uncontrollably and pleaded for a lesser punishment. The woman at the centre of the present case had filed a police complaint after being rescued from a farmhouse near Mysuru in April.She alleged that she was kidnapped at the behest of Revanna’s family to stop her from
pursuing charges.

(State Correspondent)