Bengaluru court denies bail to JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna
What's the story
The Special People Representative Court in Bengaluru has rejected the bail plea of suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna in the first of three sexual assault cases. The case against him was lodged at the Holenarasipura police station in Karnataka. His father, HD Revanna, is also implicated in the case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is currently investigating three cases registered against Prajwal, and he is presently in police custody in one of the cases until June 29.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The 33-year-old grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda faces charges of criminal intimidation, sexual harassment, and stalking after thousands of videos surfaced showing him in sexual acts with multiple women. He left the country on April 27 after videos of him sexually abusing multiple women surfaced—a day after polling for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections. The former MP was arrested on May 31 upon his return from Germany, and has been in custody since.
Brother's arrest
Brother arrested on sexual abuse charges
In related developments, Suraj Revanna, brother of Prajwal, has also been arrested on charges of sexually abusing multiple women as per police reports. He was arrested on Saturday for allegedly sexually assaulting a male party worker who had sought work from him. The complainant alleged that Suraj sexually assaulted him at his farmhouse on June 16, promising to help him grow politically in return. On Tuesday, a second case of sodomy was registered against Suraj.
Complaint
Victim assaulted 4 years ago
According to the complaint, the victim was assaulted four years ago during the COVID-19 lockdown. "I hadn't told anyone at that time and neither did I have the courage to file a complaint. I was suffering internally, and now that there was an opportunity, I lodged the complaint," the victim alleged. Like in the previous case, the victim has also been a party worker for seven years and an office bearer of the Suraj brigade for the past six.