JD(S) MLA HD Revanna released from prison in kidnapping case; No sign of Prajwal

HD Revanna, the 66-year-old former minister, son of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in an alleged case of abduction of a woman, linked to the allegations of sexual abuse of women by his son and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, on 4 May.

The special court judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat heard the matter and granted conditional bail to Revanna.

The 33-year-old Prajwal is facing charges of sexually assaulting several women after thousands of obscene videos allegedly involving him got circulated in Hassan. He is said to have flown abroad on 27 April, a day after the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka was held. Prajwal is still absconding.

He is the BJP-JD(S) alliance’s candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, which went to polls on 26 April in the second phase of elections in India.

While the Congress government has formed a SIT to probe the cases, the BJP and JD(S) — NDA partners — have demanded that it be handed over to the CBI, and action against those behind the circulation of explicit videos.

Also Read: Court grants conditional bail to JD(S) MLA HD Revanna in kidnapping case

Supporters greet with slogans

As the imprisoned leader walked free after spending six days in the jail, his supporters greeted him with slogans and a large convoy of vehicles followed him. Revanna went to meet his father Deve Gowda.

While granting the bail, the court invoked conditions, such as Revanna will be given bail upon executing ₹5 lakh bond, he should not be allowed to leave the country.

He is restricted from entering KR Nagar taluka in Mysuru and has been asked not to influence the witnesses.

Revanna’s three-day police custody ended on 8 May, following which he was produced in the XVII Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, which remanded him to seven days’ judicial custody, till 14 May.

Meanwhile, the second accused Satish Babanna was sent to four days of judicial custody and the other four accused to 14 days of judicial custody.

Also Read: SIT arrests 2 for allegedly leaking sexually explicit videos

Case against Revanna

The JD(S) MLA and his accomplice Satish Babanna were booked by KR Nagara Police Station in Bengaluru on 2 May for kidnapping a woman who was allegedly sexually abused by Prajwal.

The case was registered following a complaint by the woman’s son, who alleged that his mother was sexually abused by Revanna’s son Prajwal.

The woman was allegedly abducted to prevent her from testifying against Prajwal, police sources said.

The SIT arrested his accomplice Babanna on 3 May and subsequently rescued the woman allegedly from a farmhouse in Mysuru’s Hunsur taluk on 4 May, hours before the arrest of Revanna.

While Revanna engaged senior counsel CV Nagesh for his bail plea, Special Public Prosecutor Jaina Kothari and Additional Public Prosecutor Ashok Naik argued on behalf of the SIT.

Nagesh claimed that there is a political conspiracy behind Revanna’s arrest and the victim has recently said in a video that she has not been abducted by Revanna or his family.

Kothari and Naik countered it by saying, that SIT recorded statements both under CrPC sections 161 (examination of witnesses by police) and 164 (statements recorded by Magistrate) and the victim has given a statement against Revanna.

The SIT advocates also argued that the bail application was moved when the accused was already in custody and hence the matter is not maintainable.

SIT sought time to furnish written documents related to this, but was turned down by the judge and he reserved the order at 5 pm on Monday and granted bail to Revanna.