Suspended Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), leader Prajwal Revanna was detained at the airport in Bengaluru early on Friday morning following his homecoming from Germany, weeks after he was charged with widespread sexual assault.
On April 27, a day after polls were conducted and just after thousands of his films went viral, Revanna, the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate for the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, departed for Germany. Since then, a few of the ladies from the recordings have accused Prajwal of sexually abusing them.
He was taken into jail prior to being questioned by a special investigative team (SIT) that was established to look into the claims. The Hassan member of parliament, Revanna, would first get a medical examination at Bengaluru’s Bowring Hospital, according to a SIT officer. He also mentioned that Revanna would be brought before a magistrate to be placed under his care. Revanna’s cell phone and two luggage were taken by the SIT.
On Thursday afternoon, Interpol notified SIT, Bengaluru Police, and immigration authorities about his return.
On Friday, a session court in Bengaluru was to hear Revanna’s application for anticipatory bail. He refuted every accusation in the plea, implying that they were made for political purposes. The plea stated, “The electronic evidence presented is fabricated to support a false case.”
According to the plea, Revanna got along well with the political activist who made the accusations against him during his most recent bid for office. The statement read, “Prajwal is shocked by the wild allegations in the complaint.” He attributed the claims to political rivalry and jealousy.
Revanna maintained his travel abroad was pre-planned and unrelated to the charges. “Having participated in the election process on April 26, 2024, Prajwal left the country as scheduled. However, a smear campaign was orchestrated against Prajwal and his father, leading to the false accusations,” the plea said.
After being accused of sexual assault, Revanna released a video message this week announcing that he would appear before the SIT on May 31 at 10 a.m. JD(S) suspended Revanna.
According to sources, the suspended JD(S) leader Revanna was expected to arrive in India early on Friday. However, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara announced on Thursday that Revanna will be arrested upon arrival. He said that Revanna’s reservation on a Lufthansa flight from Munich to Bengaluru was known to the authorities.
