Bengaluru court sends Prajwal Revanna to judicial custody in molestation case

A Bengaluru court on Saturday remanded former Member of Parliament (PM) Prajwal Revanna to judicial custody till July 8 on completion of his police custody in the molestation case filed against him.

Special Magistrate KN Shivakumar on April 25 had sent the suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader to custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing charges of sexual abuse against him, till today.

The sexual abuse allegations against Revanna had emerged after over 2,900 videos depicting the sexual assault of several women were circulated online including on social media.

On April 28, a first information report (FIR) was registered against Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna under Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insult to modesty of woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Holenaraseepur town police station in Hassan district. 

The criminal case was registered on a complaint filed by one of the victims. Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer BK Singh headed the SIT that probed the cases against Revanna.

Amid the outrage and political storm that followed the revelations against him, Prajwal Revanna had fled to Germany soon after the April 26 Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka.

He was arrested upon his return to India on May 31.

He was then handed over to SIT custody from May 31 to June 10. Later, in the second rape case, he was sent to SIT custody June 13 to 18. In the third rape case, the SIT was given custody till June 24.