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Former MP Prajwal Revanna has been sentenced to life in prison in the case related to the sexual assault of a 47-year-old woman. Prajwal was awarded the maximum punishment under 376(2)(n) of the Indian Penal Code. He has also been levied a fine of Rs 11.50 lakh. He was also sentenced to rigourous life imprisonment under Section 376 (2)(k).
Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat of the Special Court for elected representatives announced the quantum of punishment on Saturday, August 2. Out of Rs 11.5 lakh, the judge ordered that Rs 11.25 lakh be paid to the rape survivor as compensation.
Section 376(2)(n) deals with committing rape on the same woman repeatedly, while Section 376 (2)(k) deals with a crime committed while being in a position of control or dominance over a woman and committing rape on such a woman.
He has also been sentenced to rigoruous imprisonment of 3 years for molestation under Section 354A, 7 years under 354B (using criminal force with the intention of disrobing), 3 years under 354C (captures the image of a woman engaging in a private act), 3 years under 506 (criminal intimidation) and 3 years under Section 66E of IT Act (knowingly captures, publishes or transmits the image of a private area of any person without consent).
The court had pronounced him guilty on August 1. This is one of the four cases filed against Prajwal for rape and molestation. Prajwal has been lodged in Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru since his arrest in May 2024.
Making the final arguments before the sentence was pronounced, Special Public Prosecutor BN Jagadeesha said Prajwal had raped a woman who had come to work on the farm for her livelihood. “She was so distressed after the videos went viral that she attempted suicide. Prajwal has shot videos of many women. There are three other cases of sexual assault against him. Therefore the court must give the harshest punishment to send a message to society,” he said.
He also said Prajwal had not expressed remorse for his act, and they even tried kidnapping her to mislead everyone. The prosecution sought rigorous life imprisonment for Prajwal. Special Public Prosecutor Ashok Naik said the woman had suffered great humiliation and societal stigma, and she should be awarded compensation. He also argued that Prajwal, being in a position of great responsibility as an MP, had abused his power.
Addressing the court, Prajwal said he had a good record as a Parliamentarian and the allegations against him emerged only during the elections. Saying he was a meritorious student of engineering, Prajwal said he rose too quickly and fell in politics and sought leniency in punishment.
The woman, Mridula (name changed), was a farm labourer working at the Revanna family’s farm in Gannikada of Hassan district. She was sexually assaulted twice at the farmhouse and once at the family residence in the Basavanagudi area of Bengaluru. Mridula had told TNM that Prajwal attempted to rape her again, but she managed to escape as he had not locked the door.
The SIT investigating all the complaints against him had submitted a 118-page chargesheet and 180 documents. The prosecution also listed 26 witnesses. The prosecution was able to prove that the man in the video recording the sexual assault was Prajwal, as they were able to match the body parts visible in the video using image comparison techniques. The police were also able to match his voice to that of the one in the video. In addition, the police presented evidence, which showed the background of the room in the video to be the same as Prajwal’s room—both at the farmhouse and the Basavanagudi residence.
The rape survivor’s unwavering testimony was the strongest evidence. Prosecutors in the case told TNM that despite being very disturbed during testifying and breaking down and crying several times, she was able to testify about her ordeal.