In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to former Janata Dal (Secular) Member of Parliament (MP) Prajwal Revanna, who faces allegations of rape and sexual assault. A Bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma dismissed his plea after a brief hearing, upholding an earlier Karnataka High Court order that denied him bail.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Revanna, argued that the complaint did not contain specific allegations of rape, even though the accusations were serious. He remarked that the timing of the case had adversely impacted Revanna’s recent bid for re-election to Parliament, referencing its detrimental effects on his political career.
The Karnataka High Court had previously rejected Revanna’s bail application, with Justice M Nagaprasanna stating that the charges prima facie demonstrated “wanton lust” and “depravity of senses,” causing a “chilling effect on society.” Revanna’s legal troubles emerged amid a storm of allegations after explicit videos surfaced during the last Parliament elections, allegedly showing him in compromising situations with multiple women.
Revanna was arrested by the Karnataka CID’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) at Bengaluru airport on May 31 upon his return from Germany, where he reportedly stayed for 35 days following the leak of the videos. He has since challenged the Karnataka High Court’s ruling in the Supreme Court, but Monday’s decision has left his plea dismissed for now.
