HC seeks update from State on appointment of Special PP in Prajwal Revanna’s conviction appeal
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has directed the State government to clarify whether a Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) has been appointed to argue on behalf of the government in the appeal filed by former MP Prajwal Revanna, who has challenged his life sentence in a rape case involving his domestic worker.
A division bench comprising Justice K.S. Mudagal and Justice T. Venkatesh Naik issued the direction during the hearing held on Thursday. The bench also adjourned the matter to October 28 for further proceedings.
Government counsel informed the court that an SPP had been appointed during the trial proceedings before the Special Court for People’s Representatives. However, it was yet to be confirmed whether a similar appointment had been made for the appeal hearing. The High Court then instructed the State counsel to obtain this information and submit it in the next hearing.
The court also asked Revanna’s defence counsel to provide a comprehensive summary of the appeal.
In his appeal, Prajwal Revanna has alleged inconsistencies between the victim’s complaint and her testimony, claiming that the complaint was obtained under coercion by the police. He stated that after the incident came to light, police arrived at his Gannigad farm house, and seeing them, the victim panicked and fled. Later, she was allegedly taken to the SIT office in Bengaluru and pressured into filing the complaint, the appeal argues.
Revanna also questioned the reliability of physical evidence presented in court. He pointed out that stains allegedly found on a bed sheet three years after the incident could not be credible, arguing that it was “impossible for the cloth to remain unwashed for so long.”
He further claimed that during an inspection of the Gannigad farmhouse on May 28, 2024, investigators seized clothes and strands of hair without the victim being present, calling the seizure a serious procedural lapse lacking legal validity.
The defence also raised doubts about forensic findings of semen stains, questioning how such traces could remain in a locked room that had not been opened for three years, as stated by a prosecution witness.
On August 2, 2024, the Special Court for People’s Representatives in Bengaluru, presided over by Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhatt, convicted Prajwal Revanna of multiple offences, including rape and criminal intimidation, and awarded him life imprisonment along with fines totalling Rs 11.60 lakh.
Under IPC Section 376(2)(k) (rape by a person in a position of authority) and Section 376(2)(n) (repeated rape), he was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 5 lakh each.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
