Hassan sexual assault case: HC reserves verdict on Prajwal’s bail plea

The Karnataka High Court has reserved its verdict on the bail plea of former Janata Dal (S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who faces allegations of sexual assault and rape.

A single-judge Bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna on Thursday (September 19) heard the arguments on Prajwal’s application in the first case registered against him and two anticipatory bail pleas related to subsequent complaints.

In the first case registered against him at the Holenarasipura Town police station in Hassan on April 28, Prajwal is accused of sexually harassing a 47-year-old former maid. He is listed as accused number two, while his father and local MLA, HD Revanna, is the primary accused.

Prajwal’s defence

During the hearing, the court directed the advocates to avoid mentioning the victims’ names and, instead, point out specific details in the case documents.

Senior Advocate Prabhuling K Navadgi, appearing for Prajwal, outlined the timeline of events, emphasising that the woman who had complained about being illegally removed from her home had not initially levelled allegations of sexual misconduct against Prajwal.

Counsel focuses on complaint delay

Navadgi stated that the allegations primarily focused on Prajwal’s father and noted that the victim had worked for the family for four years.

He also raised concerns about the four-year delay in filing the complaint, questioning the reasoning for not reporting the incident earlier.

He argued that while the woman claimed to have found the courage to speak up after her husband confronted her about a video, she did not initially allege rape under Section 376 of the IPC.

Inconclusive forensic reports

Navadgi further contended that forensic reports did not link Prajwal to the purported video and highlighted “inconsistencies” in the victim’s and her daughter’s statements.

Navadgi denied that any incriminating videos were found on Prajwal’s phone. He also argued that the phone in question belonged to Prajwal’s driver, Karthik, and that the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report was inconclusive.

On the allegations under the IT Act’s Section 66E, Navadgi asserted that these charges were not directly against Prajwal. He also cited Supreme Court rulings on delayed complaints, arguing that no satisfactory explanation had been provided for the delay in this case.

State’s argument

Special Public Prosecutor Ravivarma Kumar, representing the State, argued that the victim had been threatened by Prajwal, which explained the delay in filing the complaint. Kumar emphasised that the threats were documented in the victim’s further statement and asserted that forensic evidence supported the allegations against Prajwal, particularly regarding the victim’s daughter.

While the high court questioned the findings of the FSL report, Kumar maintained that the delay in filing the complaint was justified due to the petitioner’s threats and attempts to silence the victim.

Kumar also argued that Prajwal had not surrendered his phone, which contained crucial information, and that he had fled the country to evade justice.

Following these arguments, the court reserved its judgment on the bail pleas.

Cases against Prajwal

After the first case at Holenarasipura Town police station, the second case against Prajwal was filed by the CID on May 1 after a 44-year-old former member of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat accused him of repeatedly raping her.

The third case pertains to the rape of a woman in her 60s from Mysuru’s KR Nagara, who was also a domestic help. The victim’s son had initially filed a kidnap case, alleging abduction of his mother, at the KR Nagar police station on May 2. In this kidnap case, the SIT had arrested HD Revanna, who is currently out on bail, and had questioned Prajwal’s mother Bhavani, who has got anticipatory bail.

The fourth case was registered against Prajwal, accusing him of sexual harassment, on June 12 at the CID’s Cyber Crime Police Station in Bengaluru. In this case, he has been booked for sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation, and violation of privacy under the IT Act. The complainant in this case is a woman, who was allegedly sexually harassed over a video call.

Hassan pen drives

The cases of sexual abuse against Prajwal came to light after pen drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving him were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls there on April 26.

He lost the Hassan seat in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

JD(S) also suspended him from the party following the cases filed against him.

(With agency inputs)