Let govt probe my son Prajwal for possessing phone inside jail: HD Revanna

JD(S) MLA and former Minister HD Revanna on Thursday (August 13) said the government can investigate his son and former MP Prajwal Revanna for possessing a mobile phone and a pen drive inside the jail.

Prajwal Revanna is in Bengaluru Central Jail serving life imprisonment in a rape case.

Revanna said the state Home Minister Priyank Kharge himself has made it clear that he ordered the raid.

"Yesterday, I saw state Home Minister Priyank Kharge saying that he got the raid done. So, it is their (Congress) government. When the HM has already said it, what should I react to?" Revanna told reporters in Bengaluru.

Also Read: No objection to action against Prajwal: Deve Gowda breaks silence

He said, "It is their (Congress) government. Let them conduct the investigation in whatever manner they want and thoroughly investigate it. What else can I say about it?"

Prajwal, the grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and Revanna's son, represented Hassan in the Lok Sabha from 2019 to 2024. He was arrested in May 2024 in connection with sexual assault cases and was later convicted in a rape case. A special court in Bengaluru sentenced him to life imprisonment in August 2025, following which he was lodged in Parappana Agrahara prison.

Prajwal using smartphone, wearing civilian clothes

Prajwal Revanna was found using a smartphone inside Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, with a video that surfaced on Wednesday (August 12) showing him in casual clothes and talking to someone on the phone, even as prison authorities ordered an inquiry into the lapses.

An Android mobile phone was seized from Revanna's barrack during a four-to-five-hour Central Crime Branch (CCB) search at the prison on Tuesday, Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services) Alok Kumar said.

Also Read: Prajwal Revanna sentenced to life imprisonment in rape case

Kumar said the prison authorities had also found that Revanna was not wearing the prescribed prison uniform, describing it as another lapse.

"Another issue is that yesterday he was not wearing the prescribed prison clothes. I had specifically asked about this. We received a complaint about this three months ago, and at that time I issued a memo stating that all convicted prisoners must wear prison clothes as per the prison rules. He did not wear them yesterday either," he said.

The CCB conducted the raid on Tuesday targeting high-profile prisoners and other inmates housed in the High Security Prison. No other contraband was found during the search, Kumar said. The CCB has lodged a complaint with Parappana Agrahara Police Station and registration of an FIR is in progress, he said.

Asst Superintendent suspended

The Assistant Superintendent, Iranna Rangapur, has been suspended on the report of DIG (South) for alleged dereliction of duty, while a show-cause notice has been issued to the Superintendent of Bengaluru Central Prison.

"We have now entrusted DIG (Prisons) Jinendra Khanagavi with the task of conducting an enquiry into the roles of the jailer and other staff and officers who were there. He will begin the enquiry tomorrow. We have also issued a show-cause notice to the SP, Bengaluru Central Prison, because such things were happening in his vicinity and there were lapses,' Kumar said.

Also Read: Prajwal Revanna's bail plea rejected by court in sexual harassment case

The prison authorities had also searched Revanna's barrack on August 6, but the search team had not found any contraband item at the time, Kumar said. The DGP said the investigation would focus on how the phone reached Revanna and who facilitated it.

‘Over 300 mobile phones seized in 7-8 months’

Kumar noted that over 300 mobile phones had been seized from Parappana Agrahara in the last seven to eight months, but an older stock of phones recovered over the previous three to four years had yet to be completely cleared.

Also Read: Ex-MP Prajwal Revanna now a library clerk in Parappana Agrahara jail

"This particular phone appears to have reached him sometime earlier. He recently changed the SIM card, but the phone had been with him for some time. A SIM was also used in this phone in March. We have to examine what information is available now and where the phone was before March," he said.

‘Can't say anything about phone's content’

The police on Thursday ruled out that videos were found on the phone allegedly seized from Prajwal’s possession inside the Bengaluru Central Jail. The prohibited materials allegedly found with Prajwal have been kept in a sealed cover, and they will be assessed by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL); hence, nothing could be said about the content of the phone, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Electronic City division) M Narayana said.

"Some media outlets have also claimed that there are so many videos in the phone. That is also far from the truth," he told reporters in Bengaluru.

He added that as soon as the case was registered, all the articles had already reached the investigating officer in sealed covers, which remain in that condition.

Also Read: Prajwal now prisoner no 15528; activists seek action for pen drive leak too

"These materials will be sent to the FSL. Until then, we cannot say anything about their contents. I want to make it clear that these are false reports," the officer said.

He also said that the pen drive, charger, and mobile phone were sealed by the officer in the presence of ‘panch’ witnesses and handed over to the investigating officers at the police station.

Regarding the ownership of the phone, he said it is yet to be ascertained whose phone it was, whom Prajwal was calling, and whether Instagram, Facebook, Netflix or other applications were being used on it. Narayana said once the material goes to the FSL, police will crack the password, examine the Call Detail Records (CDR), find out where the mobile came from and who brought it inside, and ascertain what content is in it.

(With agency inputs)