HD Revanna, a JD(S) MLA from Holenarsipur and the son of former PM HD Deve Gowda, was remanded in judicial custody for a week by a special court for elected representatives on Wednesday. This decision came in light of abduction charges filed against him by the KR Nagar police in Mysuru.
As he left the courtroom, Revanna, who is the first member of the Deve Gowda family to be arrested in a criminal case, was visibly emotional and in tears. He was then taken directly to the Central Jail on the southeastern outskirts of the city, where he was assigned the under trial prisoner (UTP) number 4567.
The additional chief metropolitan magistrate, Ravindra Kumar B Kattimani, ordered that Revanna remain in judicial custody until May 14. He will be housed in the VIP block of the prison in Parappana Agrahara, and due to safety concerns, he has been given a single barrack with a dedicated bathroom and other basic facilities not available to other under-trial prisoners.
According to prison officials, Revanna will initially be kept in the admissions room at the jail for a few days to ensure he is free from infectious diseases, after which he will be moved to the relevant barrack.
The decision to remand Revanna in judicial custody came after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) produced him in court following the end of his four-day police custody. The SIT had requested judicial custody, citing non-cooperation from Revanna during interrogation.
During the proceedings, the special public prosecutor BN Jagadeesh stated that Revanna had only given negative answers to all questions during his police custody. Jagadeesh also expressed concerns that if released on bail, Revanna might tamper with prosecution witnesses.
Revanna’s counsel, however, argued against judicial custody, stating that his client’s lack of admission of guilt should not be considered non-cooperation. Revanna himself claimed innocence, stating that he had answered the SIT’s questions over the three days of interrogation, despite suffering from stomach pain. He also described his arrest as a political conspiracy and insisted that he was arrested without a warrant. Additionally, he denied holding any press conference, clarifying that he had only responded to media queries while being taken into SIT custody.
The state government has appointed senior advocates Ashok N Naik and Jayna Kothari as special public prosecutors to represent the SIT in this case.