In a significant development, a Bengaluru trial court has rejected the plea filed by suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna seeking discharge from a rape case involving a former domestic worker, thereby paving the way for a full-fledged criminal trial.

The order, passed on April 3 by Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, held that there existed sufficient prima facie material to frame charges against Revanna, who stands accused of repeatedly raping his maid and recording videos of the acts.

The Court framed charges against Prajwal under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 376(2)(k) for rape by a person in a position of dominance, Section 376(2)(n) for repeated rape, Section 354A for sexual harassment, Section 354B for assault with intent to disrobe, Section 354C for voyeurism, Section 506 for criminal intimidation, and Section 201 for causing the disappearance of evidence.

In addition, the court invoked Section 66E of the Information Technology Act, 2008, which deals with violation of privacy through the circulation of private images.

The case pertains to allegations by a woman who worked at a Revanna family farmhouse during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021. The complainant has accused Revanna of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions, stating that she remained silent out of fear after he allegedly filmed the acts and threatened her with exposure. She filed the complaint after similar videos surfaced online last year.

Subsequently, four FIRs were registered against Revanna, with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) filing a detailed chargesheet in August 2024. Amid growing public outrage, Revanna had left the country soon after the Lok Sabha elections, but was arrested upon his return from Germany on May 31, 2024. He has remained in judicial custody since.

Senior Advocate Aruna Shyam and Advocate Arun G, appearing for Revanna, argued that the accusations lacked merit and were aimed at maligning his image. They also questioned the delay in filing the complaint and the admissibility of evidence.

The SIT, however, contended that the investigation had uncovered over 2,900 videos of sexual assault involving multiple women, and forensic analysis confirmed their authenticity. The prosecution argued that the delay in reporting and the inability to recover the original device used to record the acts were matters to be assessed during trial.

Dismissing the discharge application, the Court stated that the victim’s testimony appeared credible and emphasised that issues raised by the defence would be appropriately addressed during trial. “It is to be presumed in ordinary prudence that no woman would come before the court to make statement about her own chastity which is considered to be much more important than being alive in normal Indian traditional society,” the Court observed.

Revanna's counsel had further challenged the validity of the chargesheet filed by the SIT, contending that it did not qualify as a police station under the CrPC. The Court, however, clarified that the SIT, being constituted from CID personnel, operated under the CID umbrella, which was officially designated as a police station through a government notification in January 2024.The matter is now scheduled for hearing on April 9. (UNI)