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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Worker’s body reaches Ranchi from Saudi 4 months after death; family rejects over compensation
Ranchi (PTI): The body of a migrant worker from Jharkhand’s Giridih district killed in Saudi Arabia in October last year has arrived at Ranchi Airport, but his family refused to accept it over pending compensation, officials said.
Shikha Lakra, team leader of the state migrant control cell, told PTI that, before taking the body of Vijay Kumar Mahato, the family is demanding compensation from the private company where he used to work in the Arab country.
Mahato was killed in an alleged crossfire between the police and criminals.
“Since it was a bullet injury case, the matter is before a court in Jeddah. The final compensation may depend on the court’s decision,” Lakra said.
“The Indian Embassy informed us about the body’s arrival, and coordination was done with district authorities. Our role is limited to coordination in cases involving overseas employers and foreign jurisdiction,” she added.
Giridih Deputy Commissioner Ram Niwas Yadav said the authorities will try to convince the family to perform the last rites.
“We have already sanctioned Rs 5 lakh under the government scheme for migrant’s deaths abroad. The compensation payment might take some time,” he said.
The body is currently at the mortuary of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
The Family members said they will only accept it if the company provides written assurance regarding compensation. “Without that assurance, we will not receive the body,” said Ram Prasad Mahato, the deceased’s brother-in-law.
Mahato, a native of Dudhpaniya village in Madh Gopali panchayat under Dumri block, was employed as a tower line fitter. His family said he was struck by a bullet during a gunfight between local police and an extortion gang and later succumbed to his injuries.
Social activist Sikander Ali said Mahato is survived by his wife, two young sons aged five and three, and elderly parents.
