Bengaluru: A fourth case has been registered against former JD (S) MP Prajwal Revanna, accusing him of sexual harassment, even as he was remanded to the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) yet again.
The case was registered on June 12 at the cybercrime police station of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Bengaluru. The case came to light when the probe team received the ex-parliamentarian’s custody for the fourth time on Tuesday.
Prajwal, 33, who on Monday was remanded to judicial custody till July 8, was sent to the SIT custody till June 29. Magistrate KN Shivakumar passed the order after the SIT sought a body warrant through Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) BN Jagadeesha.
The case has been registered under IPC Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 66E (violation of privacy) of the IT Act.
SIT officials refused to divulge the details of the survivor "keeping in mind their safety". At the same time, reports suggested that the complainant was in her 30s and was sexually harassed by Prajwal on a video call.
The case details from the 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court were seen by Deccan Herald.
Interestingly, former BJP MLA and the party's state general secretary Preetham J Gowda, along with two others, Kiran and Sharath, were also named in the FIR. Well-placed sources revealed to DH that Gowda was named following allegations of circulating obscene videos of the alleged sexual abuse by Prajwal in Hassan, days before the Lok Sabha polls in the state on April 26.
A notice of appearance would be served to the three, including Preetham, at the earliest, another source said, adding that Kiran and Sharath’s roles were yet to be ascertained.
In May, Preetham had distanced himself after the SIT arrested Likith Gowda and Yalagunda Chetan allegedly involved in the leak of the obscene videos. Gowda and Chetan were said to be aides of Preetham.
Prajwal, who was at large following the Phase I Lok Sabha polls on April 26, was arrested by the investigators in the early hours of May 31 as soon as he landed at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru from Munich in Germany.
He was sent to the custody of the probe team till June 6 in the first sexual harassment case registered in Hassan on April 28. The custody was then extended to June 10.
Once the custody ended, the magistrate remanded him in judicial custody till June 24. Before the judicial custody expired, the SIT gained the ex-MPs custody twice to investigate two other cases of repeated rape filed against him by a former 44-year-old Zilla Panchayat member and an ex-house help, said to be in her sixties.
On June 24, the magistrate extended Prajwal’s judicial custody till July 8 as the SIT custody ended. So far, the SIT has held detailed custodial interrogations, conducted spot mahazars (recreation of the crime scene) and has subjected Prajwal to medical tests.
Other cases against Prajwal
April 28: Co-accused in sexual harassment of 47-year-old house help along with father HD Revanna
May 1: Accused of repeated rape by a 44-year-old former member of Zilla Panchayat in Hassan
May 8: Accused of repeated rape by a woman in her sixties from Mysuru, who was kidnapped allegedly at the behest of HD Revanna and Bhavani Revanna