Bengaluru court discharges JD(S) leader HD Revanna from sexual assault case

A Bengaluru trial court discharged senior Janata Dal (Secular) MLA and former Karnataka minister H D Revanna from a sexual harassment case registered in 2024 , refusing to condone a four-year delay in filing the complaint. XLII Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate K N Shivakumar ruled that the prosecution had failed to provide a convincing explanation for the prolonged delay, rejecting the claim that the complainant feared Revanna’s political influence . Consequently, the court declined to take cognisance under Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with sexual harassment, including unwelcome physical contact, advances, or comments of a sexual nature in public or private spaces.

The allegations against Revanna involved harassment of a woman employed at his residence in Hassan district, including inappropriate touching and unwelcome conduct. Revanna, son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and a senior JD(S) leader, has served as a minister in Karnataka multiple times.

The case emerged amid a broader scandal involving his son, former MP Prajwal Revanna , who was implicated in multiple sexual abuse cases. In April 2024, thousands of explicit videos allegedly recorded by Prajwal were circulated in Hassan ahead of the Lok Sabha elections via pen drives. Investigators reported 2,900 to 3,000 files , including hundreds of videos and thousands of images showing sexual encounters with domestic workers and political affiliates. Witnesses confirmed that Prajwal recorded many of these videos himself.

Facing imminent arrest, Prajwal fled to Germany in April 2024 using his diplomatic passport but returned to Bengaluru in late May, where he was arrested at the airport. The Special Investigation Team filed multiple chargesheets against him, registering four criminal cases, including three rape cases and one sexual harassment case. In August 2025, a special court convicted Prajwal in the first case involving a 47-year-old domestic worker , sentencing him to life imprisonment with fines and compensation. Prajwal has claimed some videos were morphed and politically motivated, but his bail and appeals have been rejected by higher courts.

H D Revanna’s discharge does not affect ongoing investigations into his family. Earlier, he was briefly arrested in an abduction-related case but later obtained bail. Other family members, including his younger son Suraj Revanna , have faced separate sexual misconduct allegations. The Revanna family maintains that the allegations are politically motivated, while women’s groups and opposition parties have demanded accountability, highlighting the scale and systematic nature of the alleged crimes.

The trial court’s decision under Section 354A IPC underscores the challenges of delayed reporting in sexual harassment cases, especially when influential political figures are involved. H D Revanna’s discharge, combined with his son Prajwal’s convictions, continues to draw public and political attention in Karnataka, raising broader questions about political influence, victim protection, and legal accountability.