HD Revanna moves court seeking anticipatory bail in sex abuse case

Senior JD (S) leader and former minister HD Revanna moved the MP/MLA special court for anticipatory bail in the sexual abuse case involving his son and Hassan Lok Sabha MP Prajwal Revanna.

Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge of the Bengaluru court issued notice to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the allegations and listed the matter for hearing on Friday (May 3), reported Bar and Bench.

The JD(S) leader moved the Court on Thursday after he received a notice from the SIT. Senior Counsel Murthy D Naik, representing HD Revanna, told the Court that they have filed an interim bail application along with the plea for anticipatory bail, it said.

The Court was also informed that though the offences alleged against HD Revanna were bailable in nature, SIT has now sought the permission of the jurisdictional court to invoke the rape charge as well in the case.

Revanna, who represents Holenarasipura constituency, is named as accused number 1 in the case registered by Holenarasipura Town police. The police have invoked IPC sections 354A, 354D, 506 and 509 against the accused in this case. 

After the case was transferred the Special Investigation Team (SIT), it had issued notices under section 41A of CrPC, requiring both HD Revanna and son Prajwal Revanna to appear before the investigating officer for enquiry. 

However, Prajwal Revanna, who is said have fled to Germany, had sought seven days' accommodation which the SIT disapproved. The SIT has also issued a lookout circular. The SIT led by senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer BK Singh, who is probing the case had summoned Revanna.

Meanwhile, JD (S) has suspended co-accused Prajwal Revanna from the political party. The sexual abuse allegations against Prajwal made rounds after over 2,900 videos depicting the sexual assault of several women were circulated on social media. 

He is said to have fled to Germany amid the outrage and political storm that followed. He left the country soon after the April 26 polls. 

On April 28, a first information report (FIR) was registered against Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna on the complaints of one of the victims, under Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (insult to modesty of woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Holenaraseepur town police station, Hassan district. 

Revanna is also reported to have secured a media gag order from a trial court in Bengaluru last year to restrain the publication of the videos, which he claimed were fake and morphed, said a report by Bar and Bench.