Prajwal Revanna did not cooperate, stayed in Germany for 32 days: Karnataka High Court

Former JDS parliamentarian Prajwal Revanna had initially refused to cooperate with the probe into the rape case against him and had also chosen to remain in Germany, the Karnataka High Court observed on Monday while refusing to grant him bail in the case.

While dismissing the bail application filed by Revanna, Justice M Nagaprasanna also said that if released on bail, there was a chance of the former Member of Parliament fleeing the country again.

“There are reasons to believe albeit, prima facie, that the petitioner has committed the offence. Danger of the accused absconding or fleeing on bail is writ large, as the petitioner did not co-operate with investigation, sitting in Germany for more than 32 days after the registration of the crime. Therefore, the risk of him being fleeing the country looms large. The allegation is that most of the accused   in the entire episode of crime have allegedly indulged in threatening the witnesses. It cannot be ruled out in the case of the petitioner, if he is released on bail,” the High Court said while rejecting Revanna’s prayer for bail.

Besides dismissing Revanna’s bail plea in the present case, Justice Nagaprasanna also rejected two more petitions filed by the suspended JDS MP seeking anticipatory bail - one in another case of rape and a second in a case of sexual assault.

Revanna, the son of former minister HD Revanna and grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, is facing charges of rape and sexual abuse and has four cases registered against him based on different complaints.

While seeking bail in the first case registered against him, Revanna through Senior Counsel Prabhuling Navadgi had argued that no offence under Section 376 was made out act against him since the acts, if at all they occurred, were consensual.

Navadgi had also highlighted that there was four-year delay by the prosecutrix in filing the complaint and no satisfactory explanation had been provided for this delay.

Representing the prosecution, Senior Advocate Ravivarma Kumar had opposed the bail, arguing that Prajwal was refusing to cooperate with the investigation by withholding his phone.

He had also cited the forensic report which reportedly indicated that the crime scene matched the background in the video.

The SIT has booked Revanna for rape of a woman who used to work as domestic help for his family.

On August 24 this year, the SIT, which is investigating four cases of sexual assault and harassment against Prajwal Revanna, filed a 2,144 page-long chargesheet, the first in the four cases, before the special court which hears cases relating to MPs/MLAs.

[Read Order]