Karnataka HC directs Prajwal Revanna to seek bail from sessions court in rape case
Bengaluru, Jul 9 (PTI): The Karnataka High Court (HC) on Wednesday directed suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna to approach the sessions court for bail in the high-profile rape case filed against him.
The court clarified that Revanna could return to the HC if necessary, after the lower court considers his plea.
Justice S R Krishna Kumar, who presided over the matter, observed that it would be more appropriate for Revanna to exhaust all remedies before the trial court before seeking intervention from the HC.
This marks the second attempt by Revanna to secure bail in the case.
Senior Advocate Prabhuling Navadgi, who appeared for Revanna, argued that the court was well within its powers to hear the bail application directly.
However, the bench maintained that the correct legal course would be to first move the sessions court.
Following Navadgi’s request, the HC directed the trial court to decide on the fresh bail application within 10 days from the date of its filing.
Revanna is the primary accused in four separate FIRs involving allegations of sexual assault, voyeurism, and circulation of obscene material. The cases emerged after over 2,900 video clips allegedly depicting sexual violence were widely shared online and via social media platforms.
The first FIR was filed in April 2023 by a domestic worker employed at Revanna’s family-owned farmhouse. She accused him of repeatedly raping her and threatening to leak footage of the abuse if she spoke out. According to her complaint, the assaults began in 2021.
The Bengaluru trial court has already framed several charges against Revanna, including rape, criminal intimidation, voyeurism, and distribution of private images without consent.
Revanna’s earlier plea for bail was dismissed by the HC in October 2023. Subsequently, the Supreme Court also declined to grant him relief. In March 2024, he filed a fresh bail application in the HC, citing a "change in circumstances”.
His legal team argued that the prolonged delay in commencing the trial had resulted in a violation of his fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty.
Opposing the bail plea, the state -- represented by Special Public Prosecutors Senior Advocate Prof Ravi Varma Kumar and B N Jagadeesha -- argued that any delay in the trial was attributable to Revanna and his family, not the prosecution.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the HC declined to entertain the bail plea at this stage and directed Revanna to file it before the sessions court. The court further clarified that all legal contentions remain open and can be raised at the appropriate forum.
The matter will now be decided by the sessions court, which has been asked to take up the application promptly.
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Pune airport runway restored after IAF aircraft snag; ops resume
Pune (PTI): The runway at Pune airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational, the Air Force said on Saturday.
The authorities at the Pune International Airport had earlier said that around 10.25 pm on Friday, a fighter aircraft experienced an undercarriage failure during landing, causing the runway to be blocked.
As many as 91 flights of airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Akasa, and Air India Express, were affected due to the incident, they said.
Earlier on Friday night, the Air Force had stated that the runway at Pune airport was temporarily unavailable following an incident involving one of its fighter aircraft. The aircrew are safe, and there is no damage to civil property, it had said.
"The runway at Pune Airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational. All necessary safety inspections and clearances have been completed. Operations are resuming in a phased manner," it said in a post on X.
Flight operations at Pune airport are being gradually restored. The situation has been brought under control with the highest priority given to the safety of citizens, a Defence PRO said.
