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‘None of the women came forward voluntarily’: What Prajwal Revanna told in court before conviction?
Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, sentenced to life for raping a domestic worker, claimed he was targeted for his political rise.
Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, recently convicted in a rape case, made an emotional plea for leniency before a Bengaluru court, claiming he was being targeted for his rapid rise in politics and asserting that the complainants had not come forward voluntarily. The Special Court for MPs and MLAs, however, sentenced the 33-year-old politician, and grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, to life imprisonment on Saturday for raping a 48-year-old domestic worker employed at his family’s farmhouse in Hassan.
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What he told in the court?
Prajwal, who was convicted a day earlier, addressed the court ahead of the sentencing and appeared visibly distraught as he spoke in both English and Kannada. “Sir, they say I have raped multiple women. But none of these women came forward voluntarily. They surfaced just six days before the election,” he told the court. He alleged that despite the SIT’s public appeal for victims to file complaints, no one did so until the prosecution brought them forward. “The prosecution brought them purposefully and made them file a complaint,” he said.
Attempting to shift focus to his personal and academic background, Prajwal described himself as a BE mechanical engineering graduate who "always passed on merit." He urged the court to consider his circumstances while deciding the sentence. “I have a family. I have not seen my mother and father for six months now… please give me a lesser sentence,” he pleaded.
Also Read - Prajwal Revanna convicted: A look back at the high-profile rape case that shook Karnataka
Despite his appeal, the court handed him a life sentence, calling the act a grave abuse of power and trust. The 48-year-old survivor, who worked as a house help at the Revanna farmhouse, was one of several women to accuse Prajwal of sexual violence. He is currently facing trial in two other rape cases and one case of sexual harassment, with verdicts in those matters still pending.
The court's verdict marks a dramatic fall for the former MP, whose political lineage and earlier rise within the JD(S) had positioned him as a prominent figure in Karnataka’s Vokkaliga heartland. The sentencing also follows months of controversy and outrage after videos allegedly showing Prajwal sexually assaulting women surfaced earlier this year, triggering a state-wide investigation.
