Prajwal moved to general cell after phone found in prison

BENGALURU: Former MP Prajwal Revanna, who is serving a life sentence in a rape case, has been shifted from the VIP cell to a general cell on Thursday after a mobile phone and a pen drive were found in his possession during a Central Crime Branch (CCB) raid

BENGALURU: Former MP Prajwal Revanna, who is serving a life sentence in a rape case, has been shifted from the VIP cell to a general cell on Thursday after a mobile phone and a pen drive were found in his possession during a Central Crime Branch (CCB) raid. The devices were found to contain obscene videos, triggering an inquiry into how they reached his barrack.

HT Image

The move means Revanna will now live alongside 20 other prisoners and share a single toilet. He has also been ordered to wear the prescribed prison uniform and report for work in the jail library, according to a senior home department official.

“His earlier accommodation was shared with undertrial prisoner Pratap Roy, arrested in a POCSO case. Roy was described as being like an assistant to Revanna,” the officer said.

The change in accommodation followed a series of actions by the prison department. Jail Assistant Superintendent Iranna Rangapur was suspended for dereliction of duty, while Jail Superintendent Anshukumar was asked to explain the lapse.

Prisons and Correctional Services DGP Alok Kumar has also ordered an investigation by a team headed by DIG Jinendra Khangavi. The inquiry will examine how a phone, charger and a pen drive entered the prison and whether any officials helped get the devices to Revanna.

“Despite all this security, how did a mobile phone get into the jail? We will investigate whether the officials were involved in this. If the officials were involved, who brought the phone to Prajwal Revanna? How long has he been using the mobile phone? We have also been instructed to find out who is involved in this,” Alok Kumar said.

The DGP said authorities had previously warned Revanna about prison rules. He also said a search of actor Darshan’s cell had found no mobile phone or other devices. “We had warned Prajwal Revanna in advance. We also searched actor Darshan’s cell and no mobile or other devices were found,” he said.

The phone discovery has raised questions about security inside Parappana Agrahara, where jammers have been installed around the prison. Alok Kumar said mobile SIM cards, including Airtel cards issued in Andhra Pradesh, had nevertheless been found inside the jail.

“Airtel company SIMs are being used inside the jail. Especially, Airtel SIMs from Andhra Pradesh have been found, despite many warnings about this, the SIMs are being found. Therefore, an investigation has been conducted into this matter and a report has been submitted,” he said.

Home minister Priyank Kharge said the investigation would determine who was responsible and that action would not depend on an officer’s rank. “Whoever the officer is, action will be taken against him. Whether he is a PC, PSI or ADG, there is no difference,” Kharge said.

He said the video circulating in connection with Revanna was old and that investigators had yet to establish who recorded it, supplied it or facilitated its presence. “Action should be taken when inappropriate activities take place in prisons. The viral Prajwal video is a bit old, so it is not possible to say who did it, who gave it, or what it was given. But action will be taken against anyone who cooperated,” Kharge said.

“No one, from constables to IPS, will be protected in my time,” he added.

Prajwal’s farther and JD(S) leader, HD Revanna, asked about the discovery outside Vidhana Soudha, put the responsibility on the state home department. “The responsibility of the home department lies with Priyank Kharge. His party is in power. Let him conduct the investigation himself,” he said.

He was arrested in May 2024 in connection with sexual assault cases and was later convicted in a rape case.

A special court in Bengaluru sentenced him to life imprisonment in August 2025, following which he was lodged in Parappana Agrahara prison