Prajwal Revanna case: Karnataka HC grants anticipatory bail to Bhavani Revanna, mother of ex-Hassan MP

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Bhavani Revanna in a kidnapping case linked to sexual abuse allegations against her son, suspended Janta Dal (Secular) leader, Prajwal Revanna. The condition of her bail restricts her from entering Hassan and Mysuru.

Justice Krishna S Dixit while issuing the order this morning, emphasised the need to avoid a media trial of the case and cautioning against the unwarranted arrests of women.

Bhavani Revanna faces accusations in a kidnapping case filed under IPC sections 64(A), 365, 109, 120(B). She is accused of being involved in kidnapping a woman who her son, Prajwal Revanna, allegedly sexually abused. On April 29, her husband, HD Revanna, was also arrested in connection to the same case but was later released on bail by a Special Court for Elected Representatives.

The case filed on April 28 at the Holenarasipura town police station involves accusations of sexual abuse against HD Revanna and his son, Prajwal Revanna, by their house help.

On June 1, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had issued notice to Bhavani asking her to be present at her home as there was a need to question her in the kidnap case linked to allegations of sexual abuse against her son.

When a team of SIT sleuths reached Bhavani’s house, ‘Chennambika Nilaya,’ on the same day, she was not present. The SIT also carried out searches at various locations, including Mysuru, Hassan, Bengaluru, Mandya, and Ramanagara. The SIT also carried out searches at Bhavani's relatives' houses to track her down, but she was not found.

The JD(S) first family, particularly former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's son HD Revanna, his wife Bhavani, and son Prajwal, have been embroiled in controversy since numerous explicit videos surfaced on April 21. Prajwal, who subsequently lost the Lok Sabha elections from the Hassan constituency as an NDA candidate, fled to Germany on April 27. 

Prajwal, facing allegations of sexual abuse, returned from Germany on May 31 and was arrested by the SIT at the Bengaluru airport on charges of rape. Prajwal's father, Holenarasipura JD(S) MLA H D Revanna, is out on bail in the same case.

The Karnataka government formed the SIT to probe cases against Prajwal on the recommendation of the Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary, who wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to investigate the matter.

(With inputs from agencies)