Karnataka High Court hears Prajwal Revanna's appeal; counsel alleges media trial, weak evidence

Bengaluru: Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna's appeal against his rape case conviction recently came up before the Karnataka High Court and his counsel argued that the trial court's verdict was driven by a media narrative and unsupported by solid evidence.

A Division Bench of Justices KS Mudagal and Venkatesh Naik heard the matter on November 13.

Revanna's advocate, Senior counsel Sidharth Luthra told the court that the conviction lacked incriminating material, pointing out contradictions in witness statements and claiming that the trial judge appeared swayed by the survivor's emotional state during questioning. He argued that such factors could not form the basis of a life sentence.

He also highlighted a delay of three to four years in reporting the offence and an additional delay of up to 48 hours in recording the survivor's complaint after she approached the police.

According to him, these gaps, along with alleged lapses in handling evidence, raised serious doubts about the prosecution's case.

The defence further contended that the chain of custody was not established, with no proper sealing or storage of seized samples. The counsel said key officers were not examined, and criticised what he described as unusual procedures carried out by certain medical board witnesses during the investigation.

He additionally argued that Revanna was not given adequate opportunity to present mitigating factors before sentencing. The trial court pronounced the conviction on August 1 and awarded maximum punishment the very next day, which, he said, denied the accused a meaningful hearing on sentencing.

Seeking interim bail, the senior advocate pointed out that Revanna has already spent a year in custody and said continued detention was unwarranted when the prosecution's foundation was weak.

The High Court will continue hearing the appeal on November 25.

Revanna, who was arrested in May last year after returning from Germany, is contesting the verdict on several grounds, including what he claims are contradictions in the survivor's testimony and inconsistencies in the evidence produced by the prosecution.

The case in which Revanna has been sentenced pertains to the one involving 48-year-old woman who was working as a help at the family's Gannikada farmhouse in Hassan district's Holenarasipura. She was allegedly raped twice -- at Hassan farm house and Bengaluru residence-- in 2021 and the act was recorded by the accused on his mobile phone.

The trial court had relied on multiple pieces of evidence, including video footage, DNA analysis of hair strands, and biological traces found on the victim's clothing, to convict him.

Four separate cases have been registered against Revanna, who is facing charges of rape and sexual harassment, and the SIT was tasked with probing cases.

The cases came to light after pen-drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving Revanna were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls on April 26, 2024.