Bengaluru, December 29 (IANS). A Bengaluru court on Monday acquitted former minister and sitting JD(S) MLA HD Revanna in an alleged sexual harassment case. Revanna is the son of former Prime Minister and Rajya Sabha MP HD Deve Gowda and father of former MP Prajwal Revanna. Prajwal Revanna has been convicted in the rape and sex video case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Judge KN Shivakumar ruled in Revanna’s favor and dismissed the case under IPC section 354A (sexual harassment) and declared Revanna innocent. The Court observed that the complaint was filed with great delay and on that basis Revanna was entitled to be acquitted of the charges in the sexual harassment case.
Based on a complaint lodged at Holenarsipur police station in Hassan district, Revanna was charged under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 354A (sexual harassment).
Although the High Court had earlier quashed the charge under Section 354, Revanna later filed an application seeking acquittal under Section 354A as well. Earlier, Revanna was arrested in connection with the same case and sent to judicial custody.
After both the sections against him were dropped, one by the High Court and the other by the Bengaluru court, he is now completely acquitted in the sexual harassment case.
The allegations are related to a complaint filed by a domestic help in April 2024, in which Revanna was accused of sexual harassment. The complaint was lodged at Holenarsipur Town police station in Hassan district.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sex video scandal arrested JD(S) MLA HD Revanna on May 4, 2024, after the Bengaluru People’s Representative Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea in the victim kidnapping case.
Earlier, the SIT had traced the woman to the farmhouse of HD Revanna’s personal assistant (PA) Rajasekhar in Kalenahalli village in Mysuru district.
Karnataka Police had filed an FIR against HD Revanna in connection with the kidnapping of the woman, who is believed to be one of the victims of the sex video scandal involving his son Prajwal Revanna.
The woman’s son had filed a complaint of kidnapping, in which he had named HD Revanna as the main accused in the case.
Satish Babu has been named as the second accused in the FIR. The woman’s son alleged that his mother went missing after an alleged sexual video surfaced in which Prajwal Revanna was allegedly seen sexually assaulting her.
–IANS
AMT/SCH