 "Poster of JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna being burnt during a protest. PTI")
Prajwal Revanna, the Karnataka MP who is accused of sexually assaulting multiple women, has been arrested after he returned from Germany’s Munich and landed at the Bengaluru airport in the early hours of Friday.
The now-suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader, running for the Hassan Lok Sabha seat, had left for Germany on 27 April, a day after polling in his constituency ended.
The 33-year-old lawmaker is facing a SIT probe over allegations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation following a complaint by his house help. He is also facing two other sexual assault complaints, in connection with obscene videos on the internet that allegedly showed the MP assaulting women on camera.
Let’s take a closer look.
The arrest
Prajwal Revanna , the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and nephew of former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, was aboard Lufthansa flight LH0764, which landed at the Kempegowda International Airport at around 12.49 am, as per Indian Express.
The immigration authorities handed the JD(S) suspended MP to police officials waiting at the airport.
He was then taken to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) office, where he spent the night in the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the case.
Upon his arrival in India, the SIT team confiscated two of his check-in bags, as per The Times of India.
Security was tightened outside the CID office in the city and barricades were erected outside the office.
As per NDTV sources, Revanna had cancelled his flights home twice earlier.
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Revanna is expected to be taken out for medical examination soon, following which he will be produced before the magistrate in the Special Court of People’s Representatives, as per TOI.
According to TOI, Revanna was also interrogated by the SIT on Friday. The team has also issued a notice to his mother, Bhavani Revanna, to be present at home on 1 June for questioning.
The anticipatory bail petition filed by the accused, which has now turned into a regular bail plea, is also scheduled to be heard today.
The verdict on the anticipatory bail plea of his mother Bhavani filed in the kidnapping case in which her husband, HD Revanna was earlier arrested is also expected to be heard today.
The Deccan Herald reports that the SIT intends to seek 14-day police custody, even though the court usually only orders seven to 10 days.
Alternatively, in order to allow for more arguments, the court may remand him in judicial custody.
The Indian Express sources claim that although the statements made by the three victims in the three FIRs of rape against Revanna serve as primary evidence, the SIT has also gathered secondary evidence by confirming the locations where the purportedly recorded assault was taken and by analysing the sounds and physical characteristics of the individuals in the video to support their allegations against the JD(S) MP.
Technical information, such as the accused and victims’ cell phone tower locations, has also been used by the SIT. Additionally, more than a dozen witnesses have provided statements, according to the report.
Diplomatic passport to be revoked
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said that the Ministry of External Affairs has initiated action under provisions of the Passport Act 1967 for the revocation of Revanna’s diplomatic passport.
“A show cause notice was issued to the passport holder on 23 May, giving him 10 working days to respond to our notice. We are waiting for his response and accordingly, we will take things forward once we hear from him or once the 10-day period expires,” the MEA said in a statement.
Earlier, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for Revanna’s diplomatic passport to be cancelled, as per another NDTV report.
A similar request was made by the investigating police team to the MEA.
The case
Revanna is facing a probe by the SIT over allegations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation by three women.
After polling ended in Karnataka’s Hassan on 26 April, obscene videos of Prajwal Revanna involving women were circulated in his constituency.
According to the Hindustan Times, Poornachandra Tejaswi MG, the JD (S) and the BJP election agent filed an FIR and accused Naveen Gowda and others of circulating the videos to harm Revanna’s reputation.
On 27 April, soon after wrapping up the polls, the 33-year-old MP fled the country, and he reportedly travelled to Germany.
On the same day, CM Siddaramaiah ordered a SIT to investigate the case, while the chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) penned a letter to the government regarding the issue.
On 28 April, the first case against Revanna was filed by a 47-year-old former maid for allegedly harassing her sexually multiple times between 2019 and 2022. “Whenever HD Revanna’s wife wasn’t there, he used to call the women to the storeroom and touch them while giving them fruits. He used to remove saree pins and sexually assault women,” she said in a complaint.
On 30 April, the JD(S) temporarily suspended Revanna from the party and welcomed the SIT probe into the case.
The second case was registered by the Bengaluru police on 1 May on the complaint of a 44-year-old woman, who may be a JD(S) worker, accusing Prajwal Revanna of raping her multiple times, including at least once at gunpoint, according to NDTV.
On 1 May, Prajwal responded to the allegations for the first time through his lawyers and sought some time to attend the SIT probe. Taking to X, he said, “Truth will prevail soon.”
The third was filed on 3 May when a 60-year-old woman accused Prajwal Revanna of rape.
On 4 May, his father, HD Revanna was arrested in connection with a kidnapping case linked to sexual abuse allegations against his son. He was later released on bail.
A blue corner notice was issued to locate Revanna, as he skipped the SIT investigation even after multiple notices.
The arrest warrant against Revanna – under which he has now been arrested – was issued on 18 May.
On 23 May, former PM and grandfather of the accused, HD Deve Gowda, issued a stern warning to his grandson, asking him to appear before the SIT. He asked him to face the law or face serious consequences if he refused to return.
On 27 May, according to NDTV, Revanna released a video statement on X, saying, “I apologise to my parents… I was in depression (over political rivals’ attacks on the sex assault charges). I will appear (before the police team) on 31 May. I will cooperate to the best of my abilities… I have the blessings of God…”
Revanna has denied all charges against him and has claimed a conspiracy by his political rivals.
With inputs from agencies