During today’s hearing, Senior Advocate Prabhuling Navadgi, representing Revanna, emphasized that the case largely relies on the prosecutrix’s statements and the alleged existence of a video.
Karnataka: On Thursday(19th Sept), the Karnataka High Court reserved its decision on the bail applications submitted by former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna. This includes a bail plea in one case and two anticipatory bail pleas concerning two additional complaints of rape and sexual assault.
Justice M Nagaprasanna is reviewing the applications.
During today’s hearing, Senior Advocate Prabhuling Navadgi, representing Revanna, emphasized that the case largely relies on the prosecutrix’s statements and the alleged existence of a video.
Navadgi pointed out inconsistencies between the prosecutrix’s accounts to the police and the magistrate and questioned the video’s authenticity, citing a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report that deemed the video potentially fraudulent.
READ ALSO: [Sexual Assault Case] SIT Submits Chargesheet Against Prajwal Revanna, HD Revanna
Navadgi argued that the actions in question, if they occurred, were consensual and that no offense under Section 376 was evident. He also noted a significant four-year delay in the prosecutrix coming forward with her allegations, asserting that no adequate explanation for this delay had been provided.
Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) deals with the punishment for rape. It states that anyone who commits rape, except in the cases mentioned in sub-section (2), will be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term of at least 10 years, or up to life imprisonment. The accused may also be liable to pay a fine.
Senior Advocate Ravivarma Kumar, representing the SIT, opposed the bail plea, accusing Prajwal of non-cooperation by withholding his phone. Kumar referenced the forensic report, which reportedly confirmed that the crime scene matched the background in the video, and mentioned that the prosecutrix had obscured her face due to embarrassment.
On August 24, the SIT, which is investigating four cases of sexual assault and harassment against Prajwal Revanna, submitted a 2,144-page chargesheet the first of its kind before the special court handling cases involving MPs/MLAs. The chargesheet includes accusations of rape against Revanna concerning a woman who previously worked as the family’s domestic help.
In relation to the charges under Section 66E of the IT Act, Senior Advocate Prabhuling Navadgi argued that these allegations were not directly aimed at Prajwal Revanna. He also referenced Supreme Court rulings on delayed complaints, contending that no satisfactory reason had been provided for the delay in this case.
Special Public Prosecutor Ravivarma Kumar, representing the State, countered by stating that Revanna had threatened the victim, which explained the delay in her filing the complaint. Kumar highlighted that these threats were recorded in the victim’s additional statements and argued that forensic evidence reinforced the accusations, particularly concerning the victim’s daughter.
While the High Court raised questions regarding the FSL report findings, Kumar insisted that the delay in filing the complaint was justified due to Revanna’s intimidation and efforts to silence the victim. Kumar further argued that Revanna had not turned over his phone, which contained vital information, and that he had left the country to avoid prosecution.
After hearing these arguments, the court reserved its decision on the bail applications. Revanna had previously lost his attempt to retain the Hassan parliamentary seat in recent elections. Allegations of sexual abuse surfaced after explicit videos, allegedly involving Revanna, were circulated via pen drives in Hassan before the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. In response to the cases, JD(S) suspended him from the party.
The first case against Revanna was registered at the Holenarasipura Town police station in Hassan on April 28, accusing him of sexually harassing a 47-year-old former domestic worker. In this case, he is named as the second accused, while his father, local MLA H D Revanna, is the primary accused.
The second case was filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on May 1, after a 44-year-old former member of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat accused Revanna of repeatedly raping her.
The third case involves the alleged rape of a woman in her 60s from Mysuru’s K R Nagara, who was also a domestic worker. Her son initially filed a kidnapping complaint, alleging his mother’s abduction at the K R Nagar police station on May 2. In this case, the SIT arrested H D Revanna, who is now out on bail, and questioned Prajwal’s mother, Bhavani Revanna, who has been granted anticipatory bail.
The fourth case, registered on June 12 at the CID’s cybercrime police station in Bengaluru, accuses Prajwal Revanna of sexual harassment. He has been charged with sexual harassment, stalking, criminal intimidation, and violation of privacy under the IT Act. The complainant in this case alleged she was sexually harassed via a video call.
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