The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the bail application of Prajwal Revanna, the former member of parliament from JDS, who is alleged with various charges of rape and sexual assault. Justices Dela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma dismissed the petition, noting that Revanna is a highly influential individual.
Revanna, son of HD Revanna, an MLA from Holenarasapura of JD(S), and grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, has been embroiled in a series of serious criminal charges. He was previously charged with sexual assault and harassment in four cases that were assigned to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) based in Karnataka. The SIT also filed a lengthy 2144-page charge sheet in which Revanna was also charged with raping a woman who worked for his family as a domestic help.
Senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, who represented Revanna, claimed that a charge sheet already exists and also stated that Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on rape was not included in the complaint in the beginning. Nevertheless, the bench of the Supreme Court held that it could not entertain the matter of revisiting the bail application that was denied by the Karnataka High Court to Revanna on October 21.
Rohatgi sought permission to approach the court again after six months, but the bench declined to offer any assurance, stating that it could not comment on future proceedings.
Meanwhile, Revanna faces two separate rape charges and a case of sexual assault, all linked to incidents involving his domestic help.
Previous legal developments
In another affinity matter, the Supreme Court has in the past declined to vacate an anticipatory bail granted to Bhavani Revanna, mother to Prajwal, who is facing charges of conspiracy to pervert the cause of justice. Bhavani is alleged to have conspired with others to kidnap a former maid who, it is claimed, was raped to silence her against testifying in favour of Prajwal Revanna.
A bench led by Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan rejected the state government's application for permission to appeal against the anticipatory bail granted to Bhavani, thereby affirming the Karnataka High Court's decision.
While the legal battle against Prajwal Revanna remains active, his narrative is viewed as the first real litmus test where the Indian justice system has to withstand the effects of a trial involving a powerful political family. The Supreme Court had refused to grant him bail; it also did not entertain his appeal. This implies that the case will not be ignored because of his politics.
The issues surrounding Revanna raise the familiar challenge concerning the reach of justice in the face of the threats posed by entrenched political families and the need to promote justice irrespective of one’s position.
