Sexual harassment case: Prajwal Revanna sent to 14-day judicial custody

A Bengaluru court on Monday ordered 14-day judicial custody for suspended Janata Dal Secular leader Prajwal Revanna. Revanna is accused of rape and sexual abuse by multiple women.

Revanna's custody was extended until June 10 by a special court for elected representatives on June 6. Earlier, on May 31, he was remanded to the custody of a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The 33-year-old, who is the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, lost his bid to retain his Hassan parliamentary constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

On June 8, the SIT accompanied Revanna to his home in Holenarasipura, located in Karnataka's Hassan district, for a spot inspection.

As a precautionary measure, the entire area was cordoned off. Revanna, wearing a black T-shirt and a mask, visited his residence for the first time since April 27.

Prajwal's father, Holenarasipura MLA HD Revanna, and mother Bhavani Revanna are both out on bail in a kidnapping case related to the abduction of a woman. This woman allegedly appeared in numerous videos depicting sexual assault allegedly by the political leader.

For those unfamiliar, Karnataka Police arrested Revanna shortly after he arrived at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport on May 31.

On April 27, he departed for Germany, a day after voting concluded in the Hassan seat in Karnataka.

Upon the request of the SIT through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Interpol issued a 'Blue Corner Notice' seeking information on his location.

Before this, on May 18, the Special Court for Elected Representatives issued an arrest warrant against Prajwal at the SIT's request.

Reports indicate that Prajwal Revanna has been implicated in three distinct cases of sexual assault, including charges of rape.

These allegations surfaced after pen drives containing explicit videos purportedly involving Prajwal Revanna were circulated in the Hassan area before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on April 26.