Prajwal Revanna Rape Case

In April 2024, thousands of explicit videos allegedly showing Prajwal Revanna, a sitting MP from Hassan and grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, sexually assaulting multiple women were widely circulated online during India’s general election. Revanna fled to Germany but returned and was arrested on May 31, 2024. A Special Investigation Team filed charges including rape, sexual harassment, criminal intimidation, and video voyeurism. In 2025, trial proceedings advanced, with victims testifying in camera. The case exposed deep failures in victim protection and raised urgent questions about digital evidence and political impunity in sexual violence cases.

As of mid-2025, the trial remains ongoing. Prajwal Revanna is in judicial custody while the court records victim testimonies and forensic analysis. No final verdict has been delivered.

Admissibility and authenticity of the leaked videos versus claims of deepfake fabrication; allegations of a political conspiracy to target Revanna; breach of victim anonymity after media leaks; extent of family and political shielding; jurisdictional complexities following his flight abroad.

The case triggered national outrage against sexual violence by political elites and severely damaged the Janata Dal (Secular) party. Women’s rights groups intensified demands for stronger victim protection laws. It ignited widespread debate on digital privacy, consent, and the ethics of distributing intimate imagery, while also prompting calls for systemic electoral reforms to bar candidates accused of serious sexual offences.