Former Hassan MP appeals against trial court verdict in domestic worker rape case amid ongoing SIT probes.
Bengaluru
Former Hassan MP and expelled JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna has moved the Karnataka High Court challenging the life imprisonment sentence awarded to him by a special trial court in a rape case. On August 2, the Special Court for MPs and MLAs, presided over by Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, sentenced Revanna to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹11.60 lakh.
The case involves a 48-year-old domestic worker employed at Revanna’s family farmhouse in Holenarasipur, Hassan district. She alleged that Revanna raped her twice—once at the farmhouse and again at the family’s Bengaluru residence in 2021. Investigators stated that the assaults were recorded on Revanna’s mobile phone.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing four separate cases against Revanna, which include charges of rape and sexual harassment. The controversy gained nationwide attention after explicit videos allegedly featuring Revanna surfaced in Hassan ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Revanna contested the polls from Hassan but lost.
Currently lodged in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara prison, Revanna has been assigned duties as a library clerk, issuing books and maintaining borrowing records. Jail officials said he earns ₹522 per day for the work if duties are completed as prescribed. Under prison rules, life convicts must undertake some form of labour based on their skills and willingness. Revanna’s appeal will now be heard by the Karnataka High Court, which will determine whether his conviction and sentence will stand.