The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday, September 24, rejected Prajwal Revanna’s petitions requesting transfer of trial in two sexual assault cases to a different sessions court. The former JD(S) Hassan MP had filed two petitions demanding the transfers from the 81st Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge at Bengaluru to some other sessions court.
Prajwal’s counsel had argued that it is likely for the current trial judge, Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, to be biased against him, given that the judge had already sentenced Prajwal to life imprisonment in a rape case. The state government argued in court that no bias by the judge against the accused MP was found in the case documents, and added that he was merely “unnerved” following his conviction in the first case.
Four cases had been booked against Prajwal Revanna after a number of videos circulated in Hassan during the 2024 LS elections, of a man, proved to be Prajwal, sexually assaulting multiple women. A special investigation team had secured his conviction in one case in August this year.
According to Bar and Bench, Justice MI Arun rejected the request for transfer of court stating, "The observations in the judgement may sound a bit harsh but that cannot be construed as a bias on the part of the presiding officer. Admittedly, the petitioner has tried to drag the case and resort to delay tactics which has been frowned upon by the trial court. If that can be a ground for transfer of a criminal case, there would be petitions filed for transfer in almost all criminal cases where the accused feels that he may get convicted. This practice cannot be permitted.”
"In the course of arguments, the petitioner has relied upon a decision of the Bombay High Court…to seek transfer from one court to another merely because the court is not siding with him...I do not see any merits in the instant petition and the same is accordingly dismissed," the court ruled.
Prajwal had filed transfer pleas in two cases involving the Indian Penal Code Sections 376(2)(n) (repeated rape), 354A (outraging modesty), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 354C (voyeurism), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 201 (hiding evidence). After he was convicted in a case, Prajwal is currently lodged at the central jail in Bengaluru.