New Delhi/Bengaluru:

Janata Dal-Secular leader Suraj Revanna, the brother of Prajwal Revanna who is facing sex crimes allegations by multiple women, has been arrested allegedly for sexually assaulting a male party worker. 

A case was filed against Suraj Revanna based on a complaint registered by the 27-year-old party worker who accused the JD(S) leader of sexually assaulting him at a farm house in Karnataka’s Hassan district on June 16.

Suraj Revanna, meanwhile, has refuted the charge and alleged that the man filed a false complaint against him after he refused to pay him Rs 5 crore.

Suraj Revanna’s friend Shivkumar had also yesterday filed a police complaint, alleging that the JD(S) worker had approached him earlier this month and demanded Rs 5 crore, threatening that he would file a sexual abuse case against Suraj Revanna if his demands were not met.

Shivkumar said that the man had first approached him to help him find a job. Shivkumar gave him Suraj Revanna’s number and asked him to contact Suraj. But he started blackmailing Shivkumar and Suraj after he failed to get the job, the complaint said.

Suraj’s arrest comes days after former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna was sent to judicial custody. The 33-year-old grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda had failed in his bid to retain the Hassan parliamentary constituency in the recent polls.

The cases of sexual abuse came to light after pen-drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls there on April 26.

JD(S) suspended him from the party following the cases filed against him. The BJP has distanced itself from Revanna and the investigation. Its state unit boss, S Prakash, said, “We, as a party, have nothing to do with the videos and neither do we have any comments to make…”

A police case has also been filed against his father, HD Revanna, for allegedly kidnapping a woman who said she had been raped by both men. The father, a former MLA and Public Works Department Minister, was given bail in the kidnapping case on May 14 and the sexual assault case after that.

Janata Dal-Secular leader Suraj Revanna, the brother of Prajwal Revanna who is facing charges of sex crimes allegations by multiple women, has alleged that he is being threatened with a false case of sexual assault by a man in Karnataka’s Hassan.

The complaint has been filed by Suraj Revanna’s friend Shivkumar against two men. Shivkumar alleged that Chethan and his brother-in-law approached him and demanded Rs 5 crore, threatening that he would file a sexual abuse case against Suraj Revanna if their demands were not met.

Shivkumar said that Chethan had first approached him to help him find a job. Shivkumar gave him Suraj Revanna’s number and asked him to contact Suraj.

But he started blackmailing Shivkumar and Suraj after he failed to get a job, the complaint said.

Soon after the case was filed, Chethan also appeared on a private channel and that he had been sexually abused by Suraj at a farm house.

This comes days after former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna was sent to judicial custody. The 33-year-old grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda had failed in his bid to retain the Hassan parliamentary constituency in the recent polls.

The cases of sexual abuse came to light after pen-drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls there on April 26.

JD(S) suspended him from the party following the cases filed against him. The BJP has distanced itself from Revanna and the investigation. Its state unit boss, S Prakash, said, “We, as a party, have nothing to do with the videos and neither do we have any comments to make…”

A police case has also been filed against his father, HD Revanna, for allegedly kidnapping a woman who said she had been raped by both men. The father, a former MLA and Public Works Department Minister, was given bail in the kidnapping case on May 14 and the sexual assault case after that.

New Delhi:

BJP leader G Devaraje Gowda was late Friday taken into custody in connection with a sexual assault case. He was taken into custody near Hiriyur while he was traveling from Bengaluru toward Chitradurga, police said.

A case of sexual harassment was registered against Devaraje Gowda on a complaint by a 36-year-old woman, who alleged that he molested her on the pretext of helping her sell her property.

Gowda, who contested the 2023 Karnataka assembly election against Prajwal’s father and Holenarasipura MLA HD Revanna, is also accused of leaking videos of JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna’s alleged sexual abuse of several women. He, however, has blamed the Congress for leaking the videos.

Gowda had also alerted the BJP leadership last year about Prajwal Revanna’s alleged sexual abuse and asked the party not to give a Lok Sabha ticket to the JD(S) leader from Hassan. The BJP, which formed an alliance with the JD(S) last year, however, decided to field Prajwal from Hassan.

The sex scandal had come to the fore a day after the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency went to the polls on April 26. Videos began doing the rounds showing multiple women being sexually assaulted. The 33-year-old politician can also allegedly be seen sexually abusing women in some of the videos. 

Prajwal Revanna, who is the grandson of former prime minister and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, left for Germany the day the videos emerged, and was later suspended by the JD(S). A blue corner notice, which asks Interpol member states to help locate a person, has been issued against him.

Three FIRs, including charges of rape, molestation, intimidation, blackmailing, and threatening, have been registered against him.

His father, HD Revanna, is currently in jail on charges of kidnapping a woman, a mother of three.

Bengaluru:

 In a twist to the sex video scandal in Karnataka involving JDS MP Prajwal Revanna, the National Commission for Women (NCW) said on Thursday that one of the woman complainants in the case has claimed that she was forced by a group of people claiming to be cops to lodge a false complaint after being threatened with harassment.

Taking a cue from the NCW’s allegation, former Chief Minister and JDS state President H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday night accused the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case of threatening the victims with prostitution to extract false statements.

The SIT officers are threatening the victims that if they don’t make statements in favour of the Congress government, they will be charged with prostitution, the JDS leader claimed.

“The investigating officers are going to the doorsteps of the victims and threatening them. Tell us, isn’t it a fact that the SIT officers are threatening the victims with false prostitution cases against them? Is this how the probe is being conducted,” Mr Kumaraswamy questioned Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who earlier described the sex video scandal as the biggest sex scandal in the world.

“Where have you kept the rescued woman who was kidnapped? Why is she not being produced before the court? Do you support the act of distribution of private videos of the victims,” Mr Kumaraswamy asked Mr Gowda,

Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna is the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, and son of JD-S MLA H.D. Revanna, who has been arrested for his alleged role in the kidnapping of a victim of the sex scandal involving his son. Mr Kumaraswamy is the younger brother of H.D. Revanna.

Stating that there is no question of defending Prajwal Revanna, Mr Kumaraswamy said, “Everyone should respect the law and the guilty should be punished. H.D. Deve Gowda has four sons and two daughters. We have our own businesses and families. I had gone to Hassan only at the time of the Assembly elections.”

Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara defended the SIT probe, saying that it is functioning efficiently.

The state government doesn’t need to reply to all the allegations being levelled by the JDS, he said.

“The SIT is conducting a probe and the state government has taken the matter seriously,” he added.

“I can’t answer everyone. If they have a complaint against the SIT, let them file it. The investigation is underway and once the report is submitted, all the details will be made available. If the victims are blackmailed over the videos, action would be initiated against the guilty,” Mr Parameshwara said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

In more trouble for Karnataka MLA HD Revanna, he has been sent to judicial custody till May 14 after the Special Investigation Team’s custody in the case of allegedly kidnapping a woman ended on Wednesday.

The Janata Dal (Secular) leader is also, along with his son and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, an accused in the sex scandal that has rocked Karnataka and the nation and prompted an attack on his party as well as its ally, the BJP, from the Congress and other parties. 

The 66-year-old former minister, who is the son of former prime minister Deve Gowda, was arrested on Saturday by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) – set up to investigate the sex scandal – for kidnapping a woman who used to work as a help at his house last month. The case of kidnapping was filed by the woman’s son, who has also alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Prajwal Revanna. HD Revanna’s aide, Sathish Babanna, was also arrested along with him.

After his custody with the SIT ended, Mr Revanna was produced before the Special Court for Elected Representatives in Bengaluru, which remanded him in judicial custody till May 14.

The sex scandal had come to the fore a day after the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency – where Prajwal Revanna is a candidate – went to the polls on April 26. Videos began doing the rounds showing multiple women being sexually assaulted. Prajwal Revanna can also allegedly be seen sexually abusing women in some of the videos. 

The 33-year-old leader, who left for Germany the day the videos emerged, was later suspended by the JDS, which is contesting the Lok Sabha polls in an alliance with the BJP. A blue corner notice, which asks Interpol member states to help locate a person, has been issued against the MP.

Reacting to the attacks on the BJP-JDS alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said there should be zero tolerance for someone like Prajwal Revanna and alleged that the Congress government had allowed the JDS MP to go out of the country. 

JDS leader and Karnataka MLA HD Revanna, son of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, has been sent to three-day police custody of Special Investigation Team or SIT in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a domestic help, who was formerly working at his house, on April 29.

It is being alleged that the woman who worked in their house was raped allegedly by his son and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, 33, who has been suspended by the JDS.

The FIR was registered against 66-year-old Revanna based on a complaint by the woman’s son on Thursday.

The SIT is also investigating sexual abuse allegations involving his son Prajwal Revanna, after a huge cache of explicit videos allegedly involving Prajwal sexually abusing several women surfaced in the public domain and were widely shared. The woman is one among the many victims.

“There is no evidence pertaining to the May 2 complaint. It’s a big political conspiracy… A conspiracy was hatched against me,” Mr Revanna had told reporters.

In the complaint of kidnapping against H D Revanna to the K R Nagar police, the 20-year-old son of the victim has alleged that Revanna’s close aide Sathish Babanna had taken his mother away on a motorcycle on April 29, stating that the MLA wanted to see her.

The complainant stated that Babanna told him that if his mother “opened her mouth before the police”, she and her family members would be arrested.

Later, the 20-year-old complainant got to know from a friend and relative that his mother was among the women in the cache of videos, and that it showed her being tied up and raped allegedly by Prajwal.

As he expressed fear that his mother was in danger, police arrested Sathish Babanna and secured the victim from a farmhouse.

Bengaluru:

A special investigation team arrived at Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna’s home in Karnataka’s Hassan today amid the ongoing probe into the ‘obscene videos’ case. Earlier today state Home Minister Gangadharaiah Parameshwara issued a second lookout notice has been issued against Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna.

“We have issued lookout notices against both HD Revanna and Prajwal Revanna. We had issued a lookout notice to HD Revanna as he may plan to go abroad. But the second notice was given yesterday. They have time until this evening to reply to the notices,” said Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara during a media briefing on Saturday.

This development comes after the first lookout notice was issued against HD Revanna and his son Prajwal Revanna when they requested time to appear before the investigation team.

Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of former prime minister Deve Gowda, is accused of raping multiple women. He has left the country after the videos surfaced on social media, triggering a huge row in the middle of the general election.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging him to extend all possible help to the victims in the case.

“I request you to kindly extend all possible support to the victims,” Mr Gandhi said in his letter to the Karnataka chief minister.

“They deserve our compassion and solidarity as they fight their battle for justice. We have a collective duty to ensure that all parties responsible for these heinous crimes are brought to book,” he added.

Describing the incidents as “horrific sexual violence” unleashed by the incumbent member of Parliament from Hassan, Mr Gandhi alleged that Revanna sexually assaulted and filmed hundreds of women over several years.

Bengaluru:

Amid the political row in Karnataka over the alleged sex video scandal involving JD-S leader Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case has issued a notice to the accused, asking him to appear before it for investigation within 24 hours, sources said on Tuesday.

A notice has also been issued to JD-S MLA H.D. Revanna, the father of Prajwal Revanna who is the second accused in the case.

On Tuesday morning, the JD-S suspended Prajwal Revanna, the sitting party MP and Lok Sabha candidate from Hassan, after the Congress government in Karnataka formed the SIT to probe allegations of sexual abuse against him.

The notice has directed both Prajwal Revanna and his father H.D. Revanna to be present before SP Seema Latkar within the stipulated period.

The National Commission for Women (NCW), which took cognisance of the case on Tuesday, sought a report within three days from the Karnataka Police.

In a letter, NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma urged Karnataka DGP Alok Mohan to take prompt and decisive action and swiftly apprehend the accused, who has fled the country.

However, the family of Prajwal Revanna maintains that he will appear before the investigating officer whenever he is summoned.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

The Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women, Nagalakshmi Choudhary, stated that the ‘obscene videos’ case involving JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna is the biggest scandal of the country.

She said that the pen drive she received contained hundreds of explicit videos, some of which purportedly show Prajwal Revanna.

“I wrote to CM and SIT was constituted. The pen drive that I have received has hundreds of videos. In a few videos, it is visible that the person is Prajwal Revanna. I will be writing this to the National Women’s Commission. I mean, it’s the biggest scandal in India,” Ms Choudhary said.

Ms Choudhary stated that she has taken the matter to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, resulting in the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case.

She stressed the need for victims to feel safe when coming forward with their complaints

“The SIT has started its investigation. And the team has got very efficient officials. So for me, the concern is the protection of the victims, so that they can freely come and lodge the complaint,” Ms Choudhary said.

Prajwal Revanna was booked in a sexual harassment case on Sunday following complaints by his former house help. A FIR has been filed against Prajwal Revanna, his father and JD (S) leader HD Revanna in connection with the case.

The case has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the IPC on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the dignity of a woman.

A FIR has been filed against Prajwal Revanna, his father and JD (S) leader HD Revanna in connection with the case. The case has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the IPC on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the dignity of a woman.

As per the complaint, the victim has claimed that both HD Revanna and Prajwal Revanna sexually assaulted her. The complainant further claimed that when Revanna’s wife was not home, he touched her inappropriately and used to sexually assault her.

The complainant also claimed that Prajwal Revanna behaved rudely to her and also misbehaved with her daughter over a video call.”My daughter blocked his number after repeated calls,” the complainant said.

Earlier, on April 25, the chairperson of the state women’s panel requested CM Siddaramaiah to order an SIT probe into the obscene clips, allegedly involving the JD(S) MP, circulating on social media.

After the request, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah informed on April 28 that the state government has decided to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with Prajwal Revanna’s alleged obscene video case in Hassan district.

The BJP on Sunday distanced itself from sitting Janata Dal (Secular) MP from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, Prajwal Revanna, amid the controversy around his purported sleaze tapes.

S Prakash, the chief spokesperson of the BJP’s state unit, said, “We, as a party, have nothing to do with the videos and neither do we have any comments to make on the SIT probe announced by the state government into the alleged sex scandal involving Prajwal Revanna.

“While the BJP is contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the state in alliance with the JD(S), Revanna is seeking a fresh term in the Lower House from Hassan and is pitted against the Congress’ Shreyas Patel.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)