Bengaluru court sends Prajwal Revanna to 7 days of SIT custody in sexual abuse case

Arun contended that the statement was not recorded, which is mandatory under the laws.

While the advocate argued that only one day of Prajwal’s custody should be granted to the SIT, it was countered by the probe team pointing at three FIRs registered against him and the need to interrogate him.

The court also allowed the advocate to visit Prajwal every day between 9.30 am and 11.30 am.

According to police sources, the SIT is likely to conduct a spot inquest on Saturday and Prajwal is likely to be medically examined on 1 June as well.

Related: Prajwal arrives in Bengaluru, arrested at airport

The arrest

The SIT arrested the suspended JD(S) leader from the Bengaluru airport in the wee hours of Friday after he reached there from Munich in Germany.

#Karnataka: #Bengaluru’s 42nd ACMM court has awarded seven days SIT custody for sexual violence accused #PrajwalRevanna.

SIT had demanded 14 days custody of @iPrajwalRevanna. He will be in the SIT custody till 6 June. Revanna was produced before the court after he was put under… pic.twitter.com/o2rSG2UPPk

— South First (@TheSouthfirst) May 31, 2024

In a symbolic gesture meant to give confidence to victims of his alleged crimes, an all-women team of police personnel escorted Prajwal Revanna from the airport where he was detained.

They were led by two IPS officers, Suman D Pennekar and Seema Latkar. The Hassan MP was then taken in a jeep in which only women police were there. They took him to the CID office for interrogation.

The 33-year-old grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda was also taken for a medical examination at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru prior to producing him before the magistrate.

Prajwal, the nephew of former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, and the BJP-JD(S) alliance candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, is facing charges of sexually abusing many women. He has been so far booked in three cases of sexual assault.

Also Read: Prajwal will give full cooperation in probe, says advocate

Notice issued to Bhavani Revanna

Earlier in the day, the SIT informed Prajwal’s mother Bhavani Revanna that they wanted to question her in a kidnapping case on 1 June.

In a notice to Bhavani Revanna, the daughter-in-law of Deve Gowda, the SIT Inspector and Investigation Officer Hemanth Kumar M said there was a need to conduct an inquiry.

“Since there was a need to conduct an inquiry with you, you are hereby informed to be present at ‘Chennambika Nilaya’ (her house) at Holenarasipur in Hassan district on 1 June from 10 am to 5 pm,” the SIT Inspector said on Thursday.

He said he would conduct an inquiry in the presence of women police.

The case pertains to the kidnapping of a woman from KR Nagar in which her husband and Holenarasipura JD(S) MLA HD Revanna is an accused and is out on bail.

After the explicit videos showing women being sexually abused allegedly by their son Prajwal came out in the open, the victim from KR Nagar in Mysuru was abducted by Revanna’s confidant.

The case was registered on a complaint lodged by the 20-year-old son of the victim. The complainant also said that his mother figured in the video where she was tied and raped allegedly by Prajwal.

Bhavani and her son have already moved the Special court seeking anticipatory bail.

Prajwal on 29 May had filed an anticipatory bail plea at the court, which issued a notice to the SIT to file objections before posting the hearing for 31 May.

In the first case registered against him at the Holenarasipura Town police station in Hassan on 28 April, Prajwal is accused of sexually harassing a 47-year-old former maid. He is listed as accused number two, while his father Revanna, is accused number one.

Prajwal has been so far booked in three cases of sexual assault. There are also charges of rape against him.

(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)