K'taka ex-MP Prajwal gets life term for raping domestic help
BENGALURU: Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna was sentenced to life imprisonment Saturday after being found guilty of repeatedly raping a 47-year-old domestic worker, the first of three rape cases filed against him.
The 34-year-old grandson of former PM HD Deve Gowda, once seen as a rising political star, became the first former MP in Karnataka to get life term as a convicted rapist.
Special court judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat delivered the sentence in a packed courtroom, a day after Prajwal was convicted under eight sections of IPC. Two of those - IPC 376(2)(k) and 376(2)(n) - triggered a life sentence for rape by a person in a position of control and for repeated rape of a woman.
Prajwal stood still, wearing a striped light blue shirt with a vermilion-sandal mark on his forehead. As the sentence was read out, he broke down. "Sir, I'm a mechanical engineer, I have passed all my exams on merit," the former Hassan parliamentarian said. "I bow to the court, but I request a lesser sentence."
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The court fined Prajwal Rs 11.6 lakh, Rs 11.25 lakh of which is to be paid as compensation to the survivor.
Earlier in the day, additional special public prosecutor BN Jagadish urged the court to impose the harshest punishment.
"The accused was an MP when he committed the offence. He raped an illiterate woman earning just Rs 10,000 a month. He blackmailed her, made obscene videos, and is facing similar charges in other cases," he said. "She even contemplated suicide."
Special prosecutor Ashok Nayak added: "He's a crorepati, elected to serve the public. Instead, he ruined a woman's life. The fine must be heavy so that she gets justice."
The case followed an FIR in April last year against Prajwal.
The woman alleged sexual abuse when she worked in Prajwal's household between 2019 and 2022.
The survivor alleged Prajwal exploited her over months, filmed her without consent, and used them to blackmail her. The woman alleged sleaze videos of Prajwal surfaced during 2024 LS election campaign, and her husband began suspecting her.
Prajwal was arrested in June. His conviction put his family under intense scrutiny as his father HD Revanna, a former MLA, mother Bhavani, and brother Suraj, a surgeon-turned-politician, also face serious allegations.
SIT chief BK Singh praised the survivor's courage. 'She stood like a rock. The defence tried every possible way to derail the proceedings,' he said. SIT faced challenges in gathering evidence since the crime occurred nearly four years before the survivor filed her complaint. 'Despite the time gap, her testimony proved crucial,' Singh said.
Prajwal's counsel Nalini Mayegowda, alleged political conspiracy. 'Why did the woman come forward only just before the elections, despite SIT inviting complaints earlier? Is this not politically timed to ensure his defeat?' she said, pleading for leniency based on his age, character, and political record.
. Prajwal addressed the court saying, 'If I raped her, why didn't she tell her sister who worked on our farm? She never came forward until the videos went viral. Now they say I've raped multiple women — but no one filed complaints voluntarily.'
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