Porn videos found on phone used by rape-convict ex-MP Prajwal Revanna in jail

A forensic examination of a mobile phone seized from jailed former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna has reportedly found dozens of pornographic videos, while a pen drive recovered from his possession contained web series.

The findings have added to growing scrutiny over how a high-profile prisoner managed to access and use a mobile phone inside the high-security Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru.

Revanna, who is serving a life sentence after being convicted in a rape case, was caught using a mobile phone during a surprise raid by Crime Branch officials on August 11. The officials also seized a charger, a pen drive and a notebook from the barrack where he was lodged.

The seized electronic devices were subsequently sent for forensic examination. The report has now revealed dozens of pornographic videos on the mobile phone, while the pen drive contained web series.

The recovery of the phone has also raised fresh questions about alleged special privileges available to high-profile or 'VIP' prisoners inside Bengaluru's central prison.

Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and nephew of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, was convicted last year of raping a 48-year-old woman and circulating videos of the sexual assault.

The woman, who worked as a domestic help at the Revanna family's farmhouse in Holenarasipura in Karnataka's Hassan district, had alleged that he repeatedly raped her from 2021. She also alleged that Revanna recorded the assaults and threatened to make the videos public if she spoke about them.

The discovery of the mobile phone inside his prison cell prompted authorities to suspend a jail official and order an inquiry into how the banned device reached Revanna.

Mobile phones, SIM cards and other personal electronic communication devices are prohibited inside prisons. Inmates are generally permitted to communicate through monitored institutional landlines, public call offices or authorised video-calling facilities.

The latest forensic findings are likely to intensify questions over prison security, surveillance and the enforcement of rules meant to apply equally to all inmates, regardless of their political background or status.