After the adjournment request was rejected, Prajwal Revanna and the others proceeded to view the private data, including the alleged sex videos, in a closed court session. This data had been retrieved from the driver’s personal phone.
Karnataka: In case of, Karnataka obscene video scandal, Prajwal Revanna, the former Member of Parliament (MP) and grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, was permitted by a special court on Saturday to view the alleged sex videos of the victim in a closed court session. This decision was made by the Special Court for MLAs and MPs.
The court allowed Prajwal Revanna, his legal team, a technical team, and the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) to review the confidential videos that were retrieved from the personal mobile phone of his driver. The driver had worked closely with Mr. Revanna, and the videos were reportedly found on his phone.
Prajwal Revanna was brought to the court from the Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara, following an order from the Karnataka High Court. His legal team had requested that the media be restricted from publishing information about the case, but the court refused, stating that it could not pass such an order.
In addition, Mr. Revanna’s counsel sought an adjournment for the viewing of the data, citing the absence of technical experts. The court expressed its displeasure, stating that such requests appeared to be delay tactics.
The court remarked, “I have no objection if the counsel files an application requesting a female judge.”
After the adjournment request was rejected, Prajwal Revanna and the others proceeded to view the private data, including the alleged sex videos, in a closed court session. This data had been retrieved from the driver’s personal phone.
Earlier, Mr. Revanna had filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court seeking access to the documents and electronic evidence obtained by investigators from his driver’s phone. However, the High Court made it clear that the law could not be altered just because the case involved Prajwal Revanna.
The bench of the Karnataka High Court, led by Justice M Nagaprasanna, remarked,
“Everything here is obscene, and there is a limit to obscenity. The court cannot provide data about other women. You are trying to turn back the clock.” They also emphasized, “The law cannot be bent just because the matter pertains to Prajwal Revanna.”
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Regarding Mr. Revanna’s request to access all the data on the phone, the High Court bench ruled that only the data relevant to the specific case could be reviewed.
The court further clarified, “No breach of privacy of other women should be done. Forget about others. The victims’ images are here, they are obscene to the core. Just because it is Prajwal Revanna, the law cannot be changed.”
In response to the petitioner’s counsel’s request, the bench added, “Every investigating officer has examined the material. The electronic evidence and records should be treated as evidence.” The prosecution had objected to the request for the entire data, stating that only relevant material should be considered.
The court also noted that in cases involving the privacy of victims, it could arrange for inspection of the data, but it could not provide it in the form of a pen drive.
“In cases pertaining to the privacy of the victim, the court can only arrange for inspection. Any means of inspection could be provided, but it can’t be provided to you in the form of a pen drive,”
the court stated.
The bench continued, “Barring the case in which a petition has been filed, Mr. Revanna cannot ask for data on other women.”
The petitioner’s counsel argued that not being allowed to inspect the device would cause serious prejudice to the accused. However, the court disposed of his petition by stating that copies of the material would be provided while protecting the identities of the women involved.
Prajwal Revanna faces serious charges under Sections 354 (A) (sexual harassment), 354 (B) (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with the intent to disrobe her), 354 (C) (act of watching or capturing a woman’s image while she is engaging in a private act), 376 (2) (N) (aggravated form of rape), 376 (2) (K) (rape by a person in a position of control or dominance), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 66 (E) of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
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The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been probing the case and has submitted a 1,691-page charge sheet to the Special Court for MLAs/MPs. According to the charge sheet, the victim was reportedly raped at gunpoint, and the video was made during the incident. The victim was allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulted and threatened with the release of her videos.
The investigation also revealed that the victim did not initially file a complaint due to fear.
