On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed by former Janta Dal (Secular) Member of Parliament, Prajwal Revanna, who sought bail in connection with multiple cases of rape and sexual abuse.
The cases surfaced after explicit videos allegedly involving Revanna leaked during the 2024 Parliament elections.
A bench consisting of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma dismissed the appeal, refusing to overturn the Karnataka High Court’s earlier decision to deny bail.
‘Dismissed’, Justice Trivedi stated succinctly, as the court heard arguments from Revanna’s legal team.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Revanna, argued that the charge of rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was not specifically mentioned in the initial complaint.
However, Justice Trivedi responded by noting that there were multiple complaints against Revanna, signaling that the case involved more than one serious allegation.
“You are so powerful,” the bench remarked, addressing the counsel, which many interpreted as a reference to Revanna’s political background.
Prajwal Revanna Case Background
Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, embroiled in a major scandal after explicit videos surfaced, allegedly showing him in compromising situations with several women.
The videos reportedly leaked around the time of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, sparking widespread media coverage and public outrage.
The allegations prompted the Criminal Investigation Department’s Special Investigation Team (CID SIT) to arrest Revanna at Bengaluru’s airport on 31 May after his return from Germany, where he had reportedly stayed for over a month.
The arrest followed the surfacing of hundreds of videos believed to involve him with multiple women.
Despite the severity of the charges, Revanna’s bail requests were denied by the Karnataka High Court on 21 October, which led to the appeal in the Supreme Court.
Revanna, who had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but lost by a margin of over 40,000 votes, now faces significant legal challenges as the investigations into the accusations continue.
The rejection of his bail application has drawn attention not only due to the high-profile nature of the case but also because of the political implications surrounding Revanna’s family background and his position within the regional JDS party.
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