The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday dismissed an application by former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna seeking suspension of the life sentence handed to him in a rape case, Live Law reported.
A division bench of Justices KS Mudagal and Venkatesh Naik T said that it found “no fit case” to grant bail or suspend the sentence.
“Weighing the material on record, the gravity of the offence, and considering the effect on other pending cases against the appellant, if the appellant is released on bail, this court is of the considered opinion that this is not a fit case for granting suspension of sentence and bail,” Live Law quoted the bench as saying.
The court noted that several cases accusing Revanna of sexual abuse are pending trial. It recorded that the complainant in the present case had not initially approached the police, given the “sound political and economic background” of the former MP. It added that Revanna was not granted bail even during the trial.
Referring to the ongoing cases, the bench said there was “much force” in the prosecution’s submission that suspending the sentence could lead to witness tampering, Live Law reported.
The court said that if Revanna wished to expedite the matter, he was free to seek an early final hearing, and the appeal would be taken up on priority.
The former MP from Karnataka’s Hassan had been arrested on May 31, 2024, after returning to Bengaluru from Germany, where he had fled on April 26, 2024. He was suspended from the Janata Dal (Secular) on April 30, 2024.
He had fled after videos of alleged sexual assaults against several women, allegedly recorded by Prajwal Revanna himself, surfaced during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
He has since been named in four separate cases, including one in which he was convicted on August 2. A trial court found him guilty of raping a 48-year-old worker employed at his family’s farmhouse and recording the assault.
Three women have accused Prajwal Revanna of sexual assault, while the fourth case concerns allegations of sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code.
Soon after Prajwal Revanna fled to Germany, he and his father, former state minister HD Revanna, were booked by the Karnataka Police for sexual harassment and criminal intimidation.
After being convicted, Prajwal Revanna moved the Karnataka High Court, which is scheduled to continue hearing his plea on Tuesday
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