Court gives Prajwal life term in rape case

A Bengaluru court on Saturday sentenced former Janata Dal (Secular) MP and grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, Prajwal Revanna, to life imprisonment in a rape case.

- Coovercolly Indresh

The Special Court for MPs/MLAs on Friday convicted Prajwal of raping a 48-year-old woman who was employed as a domestic worker at his family's Hassan farmhouse. Prajwal has been booked in two more cases of rape and one of sexual harassment. The rulings in these cases are awaited.

The court also fined him ₹11.50 lakh, and said ₹11.25 lakh out of it will be paid to the victim, people aware of the matter said.

"The court has sentenced Prajwal Revanna to life imprisonment. The prosecution had invoked various stringent sections, and for all sections, the court has sentenced separate punishments and fines," special public prosecutor Ashok Nayak said. A detailed court order on the sentencing was awaited.

The complainant alleged that Prajwal raped her twice between 2021 and 2024 and recorded the assault on his phone. She lodged an FIR on April 28 last year, days after obscene videos allegedly showing Prajwal sexually abusing several women surfaced in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections. He fled to Germany the same month and was arrested on May 31, 2024, after his arrival. Prajwal, who was the NDA candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha seat, lost the election.