Prajwal Revanna conviction: A sex scandal that shook Karnataka

BENGALURU: A folder containing around 50 sleazy videos and more than 2,000 photographs capturing intimate moments with multiple women on a mobile phone marked the rapid downfall of Prajwal Revanna, who was once considered the political successor to former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in Hassan district.

Prajwal found himself in the eye of one of Karnataka's most sensational sex scandals in the run-up to 2024 Lok Sabha polls when videos from his mobile phone ended up becoming public after his former driver downloaded them. While complaints by survivors and testimonies from others played a key role during the trial, it was ultimately Prajwal's own compulsive habit of filming his private moments and storing them on his phone that became crucial evidence for investigators.


These explicit digital files — recorded at various resorts, homestays, farmhouses, official quarters and family homes — not only exposed the extent of the sexual abuse but also helped identify about 70 survivors. Even though many of them refrained from formally filing complaints because of social stigma and family pressure, four women, including a 48-year-old domestic help and a political party worker, braved all odds and filed complaints against Prajwal. While three accused him of rape, one charged him with sexual harassment.

The sex scandal caught the public's attention when hundreds of pen drives allegedly containing these explicit videos of Prajwal were allegedly circulated across Hassan district — the constituency he was contesting from and a Gowda family stronghold for decades. Throughout the controversy, Prajwal and his family members claimed that the videos were doctored and circulated to tarnish their image in Hassan. Union minister HD Kumaraswamy distanced himself from the scandal by stating that his family stayed separately and not with his brother Revanna as speculated.
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