SIT summons H.D. Revanna and Prajwal Revanna in sexual harassment case

Members of the Aam Aadmi Party stage a protest against Prajwal Revanna at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged sex scandal involving several explicit videos of Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna has now issued notices to him and his father and former Minister H.D. Revanna. The father and son have been asked to appear before the SIT for questioning.

The notice has been issued in the sexual harassment case registered at Holenarasipur Town Police Station (107/2024) on April 28, in which a former cook at the Revanna household lodged a complaint that the father-son duo had sexually harassed her while she worked there.

The notice attains significance as Prajwal Revanna is not in the country and is said to have flown to Europe on April 27 morning, hours before the State government decided to form an SIT to probe the alleged sex scandal.

‘He has not fled’

Speaking to media persons on Monday, Mr H.D. Revanna had claimed that his son had not fled the country but had left on a pre-scheduled trip abroad. “When he left, he did not know that there would be an FIR against him and an SIT formed. We will not run away and will fight it legally. He will come when the SIT calls him,” he had said.

Sources said the notice served to Prajwal Revanna is only a first step, and the next course of action would depend on how he responds to it. If he doesn’t return to the country and present himself to repeated summons, he may be declared an absconder and a lookout notice issued against him. Meanwhile, sources said the father and son may move court seeking anticipatory bail. 

Identifying victims

Meanwhile, SIT officials are working on identifying more victims in the videos that are being circulated. Sources said they had identified some, but none had yet approached the SIT and recorded their statements, which is crucial to the probe. 

The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has written to SIT chief B.K. Singh, Additional Director General of Police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), seeking to know if there are any victims who are minors and submit to the Commission a report. “In the FIR filed against the accused, the complainant has said that the accused misbehaved with her daughter over a video call. There are suspicions that there may be victims who are minors,” the letter from KSPCR said.