Supreme Court Seeks Reply From Ex-PM Deve Gowda’s Son in Harassment Case
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a petition filed by the Karnataka government challenging a Karnataka High Court order that had quashed the charge of outraging a woman’s modesty under Section 354 of the IPC against JD(S) leader and MLA H D Revanna .
A bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran issued notice to Revanna and directed his counsel to file a counter affidavit in response to the state government’s plea. During the hearing, the bench also questioned the Karnataka government over the delay in challenging the high court’s decision and observed that the state should maintain discipline in pursuing legal remedies.
The case stems from allegations made by Revanna’s former domestic help , who had accused both H D Revanna and his son , former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna , of misconduct . The Supreme Court noted that the complainant had levelled different sets of allegations against the father and son .
The controversy emerged after multiple rape and sexual abuse cases were registered against Prajwal Revanna , who has already been convicted in one of the four cases against him. The allegations gained national attention after pen drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving him were circulated in Hassan ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In November 2025, the Karnataka High Court had quashed the Section 354 charge against H D Revanna while retaining the charge of sexual harassment under Section 354A of the IPC . The high court held that the complainant’s original allegations supported a Section 354A offence rather than the more serious Section 354 charge and asked the trial court to consider whether the delay in filing the complaint could be condoned under the law.
Subsequently, a trial court discharged H D Revanna from the case in December 2025. With the Karnataka government now challenging the high court’s ruling, the matter has once again reached the country’s highest court for further consideration.