Powerful perpetrators are rarely made accountable for their actions, and in that backdrop, the conviction and life sentencing of Prajwal Revanna, former Janata Dal (Secular) Member of Parliament and grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, for a heinous crime comes as a relief. This is the first of the four cases of rape and sexual harassment against the 34-year-old Gowda scion. The former Member of Parliament had raped a 48-year-old domestic worker twice at the family’s homes in Hassan and Bengaluru in 2021, and recorded it on his mobile phone. In April 2024, ahead of the general election, explicit clips of his sexual misdemeanours were leaked through pen drives strewn across public places in Hassan, the Gowda home town. In the videos, Revanna’s face is not visible, only the women’s, a gross violation of their safety and privacy. The former help and other women came forward with their complaints but their agony was far from over. Using political muscle, and aided by his parents, former Minister H.D. Revanna and Bhavani Revanna, he did his best to arm twist the system, threatening a survivor, trying to stop her from testifying. But a Special Investigation Team (SIT) worked with alacrity and he was finally arrested in May 2024. The SIT filed the first charge sheet in August 2024.
The video, where the domestic worker is seen pleading with Prajwal Revanna to spare her, DNA analysis and her testimony formed key evidence in the trial which began in May this year. The Special Court of Sessions to hear criminal cases against former and present Members of Parliament and MLAs pronounced the verdict on August 1. The speedy trial and conviction will give hope to other survivors battling for justice in sexual assault cases. The court convicted Revanna on all charges framed against him, including under Sections 376(2)(n) (repeated rape on the same woman), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66E (violation of privacy) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Section 376(2) of the IPC states that a person convicted under it “shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 10 years, but which may extend to imprisonment for life….” Often, even when multiple complaints are raised, leaders with political clout get away. The laws are in place. All that the government machinery needs to do is act swiftly and sensitively, and create a safe space so that survivors of sexual abuse can come forward without fear.
Published – August 04, 2025 12:15 am IST
