Bengaluru, Dec 29 (IANS) A court in Bengaluru on Monday acquitted former minister and sitting JD(S) MLA H.D. Revanna in an alleged sexual assault case. Revanna is the son of former Prime Minister and Rajya Sabha Member H.D. Deve Gowda and the father of former MP Prajwal Revanna, who has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a rape and sex video case.

Judge K.N. Shivakumar ruled in his favour, dismissing the case under Section 354A (sexual harassment) of the IPC and declaring Revanna not guilty. The court observed that the complaint was filed after a considerable delay and noted that on that ground alone, Revanna was entitled to be cleared of the charges in the sexual assault matter.

Revanna had been accused under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 354A (sexual harassment) of the IPC, based on a complaint registered at the Holenarasipur Police Station in Hassan district.

While the High Court had earlier quashed the charge under Section 354, Revanna subsequently filed an application seeking discharge under Section 354A as well.

Earlier, Revanna had been arrested and remanded to judicial custody in connection with the same case.

With both sections against him dropped — one by the High Court and the other by the Bengaluru court — he now stands fully acquitted in the sexual assault case.

The allegations stemmed from a complaint filed in April 2024 by a domestic help who accused Revanna of sexual harassment. The complaint was registered at the Holenarasipur Town Police Station in Hassan district.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sex video scandal arrested JD(S) MLA H.D. Revanna on May 4, 2024, following the rejection of his anticipatory bail plea in a victim kidnapping case by the People’s Representatives Court in Bengaluru.

Earlier, the SIT traced the kidnapped woman to a farmhouse belonging to Rajashekar, the personal assistant (PA) of H.D. Revanna, at Kalenahalli village in Mysuru district.

The Karnataka Police had registered an FIR against H.D. Revanna in connection with the kidnapping of the woman, believed to be one of the victims of the sex video scandal involving his son Prajwal Revanna.

The woman’s son had lodged a kidnapping complaint, naming H.D. Revanna as the prime accused in the case.

A relative, Satish Babu, was named as the second accused in the FIR. The woman’s son alleged that his mother went missing after the surfacing of a purported sex video in which Prajwal Revanna was allegedly seen sexually assaulting her.

He further alleged that his mother was confined at an undisclosed location and appealed to the police to initiate legal action against H.D. Revanna and Satish Babu.

–IANS

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