SC Denies Bail To Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna Amid Sexual Assault Charges

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a bail plea by former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who faces several charges, including rape and sexual assault. A bench of Justices Dela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma of the apex court expressed concerns over his influence and said that this would impact the case.

The senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, while representing Revanna, argued that section 376 of the Indian Penal Code was not specified in the first complaint about rape. Even with these arguments, the Supreme Court did not alter the previous decision by the Karnataka High Court, which on October 21 had refused to grant bail.

Rohatgi requested the court to allow him to file a fresh appeal after six months. The bench refused to make any comment on this and dismissed the plea. This case was filed on the 26th of August by Karnataka’s Special Investigation Team, which has been investigating four cases against Revanna with allegations of sexual assault and harassment. In total, the charge sheet has 2,144 pages and particularly addresses the case where he is accused of raping a former domestic worker of his family. Former MP faces two rape charges and one charge of sexual assault.

This is a case of public importance due to the political status of the family. The appellant is a son of one H D Revanna, MLA from Holenarasipura, and also grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.

Relates to: The Supreme Court recently dismissed the plea made by the Karnataka government in the related case and refused to set aside the anticipatory bail granted to Bhavani Revanna, mother of appellant Revanna, by the Karnataka High Court. Bhavani Revanna was accused of harboring a plot to kidnap a previous house assistant, against whom sexual assault was alleged, so that the very same person could not be cross-examined as a witness in Prajwal Revanna’s case. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan dismissed an appeal filed by the state government against her bail order, which has heightened interest in this case further, in which political figures were involved.

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