Betrayal, Power & Exploitation: How Court Found Prajwal Revanna Guilty of Heinous Crimes
A special court for elected representatives in Bengaluru on August 2, 2025, sentenced former Hassan MP and Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna to life imprisonment, holding that his repeated sexual assaults on a domestic worker amounted to a grave betrayal of trust and an egregious abuse of political power.
The verdict of Revanna's conviction was tabled on August 1, when, upon hearing the decision, he broke down in tears.
Opening the 480-page judgment with a verse from the Manusmriti- “Yatra nāryastu pūjyante ramante tatra devatāḥ; yatraitu tāstu na pūjyante sarvāstatra aphalāḥ kriyāḥ”, Judge Santosh Gajanana Bhat found Revanna Revanna guilty on seven charges under Sections 376(2)(k), 376(2)(n), 354-A, 354-B, 354-C, 201 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 66(E) of the IT Act.
Court placed decisive weight on the victim’s “pictorial” and “detailed” narration of events, noting her consistent recollection of three separate assaults: twice at his Gannikada farm house during the COVID-19 lockdown when she was summoned to his first-floor room for drinking water, and once at his Basavanagudi residence when she was employed to clean the house. On each occasion, Revanna locked the door, disrobed the victim by force, recorded the act on his mobile, and carried out non-consensual intercourse.
The judge observed the victim’s emotional distress on court, she wept “profusely” recounting the assaults and the circulation of the videos, underscoring her credibility as a “rustic villager” who offered unembellished testimony under cross-examination. Physical evidence, including stained mattress sections, discarded clothing, hair samples and digital data from a destroyed Samsung J4 device corroborated her account, supported by forensic analysis from the state forensic laboratory.
The judge emphasised that the photographs and videos “were self-explanatory and spoke for themselves,” noting that even though the original device was not recovered, the victim’s identification of the recordings during both investigation and trial established their reliability.
Highlighting the weight of these findings, the court rejected any suggestion that the accused’s youth or immaturity could mitigate his culpability, invoking Halsbury’s Laws of England that “any activity which is non-consensual, coercive or exploitative is inherently harmful and therefore the offender’s culpability is high”
Further, Revanna’s position as an elected MP and scion of a powerful political family factored heavily in the court’s assessment. Despite registering the first police report in May 2024, Revanna fled the country immediately after the polling for the 2024 parliamentary elections, prompting attempts to issue a red-corner notice, and only returned under judicial compulsion, court noted.
Referring to the Apex Court's decision in A. Wati Ao vs The State Of Manipur (1996), court underscored that convictions for public servants must not be treated leniently, lest it send a dangerous message of impunity.
The judgment also noted the particularly grave impact of the recordings’ circulation, observing that the widespread sharing of the obscene videos had “made the victim think of committing suicide for no fault of her and though she was consoled by her family members still the trauma continues". This acknowledgment of the victim’s psychological anguish formed part of the court’s assessment of aggravating factors that warranted the maximum sentences.
Invoking the ancient maxim “Dharma should not be destroyed so that we may not be destroyed,” court rejected any plea for leniency, stating it could identify “no grounds … why maximum sentence should not be awarded”.
Sentencing accordingly, court imposed a life sentence under Section 376(2)(n) IPC with a rs. 5 lakh fine, along with concurrent terms for related offences and confiscation of the accused’s device. It also ordered Revanna to pay Rs. 11.25 lakh in compensation to the victim under Section 357(A) CrPC.
Case Title: State by Special Investigation Team, CID, Bengaluru vs. Prajwal Revanna
Judgment Date: August 1, 2025
Judge: Addl. City Civil & Sessions Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat