Prajwal Revanna, ex-MP, convicted in rape case

A special court for elected representatives in Bengaluru on Friday convicted former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna in a rape and sexual harassment case.

Special Court Judge Gajanana Bhat pronounced the verdict, with the sentencing expected to be announced on Saturday. Revanna is currently lodged in Bengaluru’s central prison.

The 35-year-old politician, grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and nephew of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, was investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) following allegations of sexually assaulting a domestic help. His father, HD Revanna, a JD(S) MLA and former minister, also faced sexual harassment charges in a separate case.


Prajwal Revanna was arrested on May 31, 2024, upon returning to India after nearly five weeks overseas. The case gained national attention after pen drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving him surfaced in Hassan and other areas just before the April 26 Lok Sabha polls. He lost the election as the NDA candidate from Hassan.

The scandal also ensnared his family, with his mother, Bhavani Revanna, accused of conspiring to abduct one of the survivors.