The Karnataka government’s special investigation team (SIT) brought Revanna before the court on Monday as part of their ongoing probe. Despite having held him in custody twice before, the SIT did not request further custody this time. However, officials familiar with the situation mentioned that they might pursue additional custody regarding another case, depending on the court’s decision regarding Revanna’s anticipatory bail plea for the remaining charges.
The case, originating on April 28 at the Holenarasipura town police station, revolves around allegations made by a 47-year-old woman who was employed at Revanna’s residence. An FIR was lodged against Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna under Sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Holenaraseepur town police station, Hassan district.
SIT officials reported that they have gathered voice samples and identified the location of the alleged assault. “These elements are crucial as the video recordings of the assaults do not clearly show Revanna’s face, making forensic voice matching and location identification essential to the case,” stated an officer.
During the custody extension hearing, the SIT informed the court that Revanna had been uncooperative during questioning, especially regarding the mobile phones used to record the alleged assaults. These devices are being actively pursued by the police as crucial evidence. Following a four-day extension of Revanna’s custody, he was taken to his house in Holenarasipura, where he identified a room from photographs shown to him by the investigators.
On June 5, Revanna underwent an extensive examination by a panel of six doctors at a government medical college hospital. This examination aimed to compare his physical features with those visible in the video footage of the alleged assaults.
The scandal involving Revanna, who police allege had fled the country, came to light shortly after the conclusion of the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka on April 26. The MP, grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, faced charges of sexual assault after pen drives containing videos of him with different women emerged in Hassan. Departing the country on April 27, a day after polling in his constituency, Revanna returned from Germany and was promptly arrested by the SIT at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on May 31.
During the recent Lok Sabha polls, the 33-year-old leader garnered 6,30,339 votes, while his opponent INC’s Shreyas M Patel secured 6,72,988 votes.