Prajwal Revanna sentenced to life imprisonment for rape of employee in Karnataka

The Special Court of Sessions for criminal cases against former present MPs and MLAs, that convicted former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna in a rape case on Friday (August 1, 2025), sentenced him with rigorous imprisonment for remainder of his natural life, the maximum punishment under Section 376(2) of the Indian Penal Code.

The Court in Bengaluru pronounced the quantum of sentence after convicting the 34-year-old Prajwal in one of the four sexual abuse and rape cases registered against him, on August 1.

Awaiting sentencing on August 2, the suspended JD(S) leader sought lesser punishment, claiming he did nothing wrong and that his only mistake was his ‘fast’ growth in politics.

Prajwal broke down in court as he appealed to the judge for lesser punishment. He told the court that he is a BE (Mechanical) graduate, and has always passed on merit.

“…they say that I have raped multiple women, but none of the women have come out voluntarily to complain. They came six days prior to election (Lok Sabha polls 2024)…the prosecution side brought them purposefully and made them give a complaint,” Prajwal told the court.

Pointing out that the woman (victim) had not complained to anyone, including her husband or kin, about the alleged rape, he said that ‘she comes and gives a complaint when certain videos were circulated’.

Stating that he will bow down to the court’s conviction, Prajwal said, “I have a family, I have not seen my mother and father for six months now…..please give me a less sentence is what I request the court…The only mistake I made in my life is growing fast in politics.”

Former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda with his son H.D. Revanna, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Karnataka Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy, and grandson Prajwal Revanna.
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File photo

Prajwal was arrested in May 2024 upon his arrival from Germany.

On August 1, Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat of the special court for MPs and MLAs had convicted the 34-year-old Prajwal in one of the four sexual abuse and rape cases registered against him.

The prosecution advocates sought life imprisonment for Prajwal Revanna during the hearing, ahead of the sentencing.

The case pertains to a 48-year-old woman who was working at the family’s Gannikada farmhouse in Holenarasipur, Hassan district. She was allegedly raped twice — at farm house in Hassan district and in the Bengaluru residence of the former MP’s family — in 2021, and the act was recorded by the accused on his mobile phone.

(with inputs from PTI)