INTRODUCTION:
The biggest sensational news of the year, on sexual exploitation of women gave a massive twist to the Karnataka Lok Sabha election, 2024, wherein, Days before Hassan district went into polls, Prajwal Revanna, the grand son of former PM Devegowda, fell into the controversy of Karnataka’s biggest sex scandal, against whom charges of sexual assault on several women emerged last month following the leak of explicit videos and images through pen drives distributed in Hassan ahead of the April 26 Lok Sabha polls, The MP, a grandson of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, is now absconded and a ‘blue corner’ notice has been issued against him by the Interpol, lets go into the overview of the controversy circling the JDS Party Prajwal Revanna.
WHO IS PRAJWAL REVANNA?
Prajwal Revanna is an Indian politician from the state of Karnataka. He belongs to the Janata Dal (Secular) party, i.e. JDS, having its base primarily in Karnataka. Prajwal belongs to the prominent political family in Karnataka, the Deve Gowda family. His grandfather H.D. Deve Gowda served as the Prime Minister of India, and his father H.D. Revanna is a senior leader in Karnataka politics. Prajwal Revanna himself entered politics and became a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Hassan constituency in Karnataka. He has been involved in various political activities and is considered one of the emerging leaders within his party.
CONTROVERSY REVOLVING AROUND PRAJWAL REVANNA:
The Lok Sabha elections 2024, were to be held on 26th April 2024 in Karnataka, days before the elections all the parties contesting for elections were campaigning from all sides, In the middle of the poll season, an alleged sex scandal involving Hassan member of parliament (MP) Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of the former PM, HD. Deve Gowda erupted in Karnataka, wherein a large number of pen drives containing explicit videos involving Prajwal revanna were being widely and anonymously circulated everywhere across Hassan constituency, left conspicuously in bus stands, railway stations, shops, parks and other public places. They reportedly contained almost three thousand videos of women, some of whom were being sexually abused, assaulted or raped by prajwal. These victims reportedly included workers of JDS Party, wives of JDS workers, public servants, police officers, and journalists. Some of the videos, were allegedly shot by Prajwal, reportedly included visuals of him, while he is audible in others. During this busy pooling season, explicit clips were being shared and on the other side revanna was asking for votes from people, he was giving speeches on women’s safety and security, organizing back-to-back rallies, etc, later on, 26th April elections were held and the great impact of the pen drives were also started, therefore a day after election i.e, on 27th of April Prajwal revanna through his diplomatic passport fled to Germany.
When things stood thus, A 47-year-old house helper from the Revanna family filed a complaint against Prajwal and his father, HD Revanna, accusing them of sexual harassment. In her complaint, the woman claimed that HD Revanna and Prajwal used to sexually assault women workers in their home. the complainant further said “After four months of joining, Revanna kept calling me to his room. There were six women workers in the house and everyone said that they were scared when Prajwal Revanna came home. The male workers in the house also alerted the women workers to be careful,”the complainant further alleged that “Whenever (HD) Revanna’s wife wasn’t there, he used to call the women to the store room and touch them while giving them fruits. He used to remove saree pins and used to sexually assault women,” she added. The woman also claimed that Prajwal Revanna tried to flirt with her daughter, who then blocked his number. When the police questioned about the delay in complaint the woman replied that as the videos being widely circulated, she gained the courage to bring this out and file the complaint. Based on the woman’s complaint, the police have registered a case under IPC Sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 similarly, other FIRs have been registered against Prajwal Ravenna, with charges such as rape, molestation, intimidation, blackmailing, and issuing threats.
LEGAL PROVISIONS INVOLVED:
- 354A of Indian penal code- any man who engages in unwelcome and explicit sexual behavior, demands sexual favors, shows pornography against a woman’s will, or makes sexually colored remarks can be punished with imprisonment or fine.
- 354D of Indian penal code –stalking is defined as the act of following, contacting, or attempting to contact a person persistently despite their clear indication of disinterest or through any other means of communication, causing fear or distress
- 506 of Indian penal code – punishment for criminal intimidation
- 509 of Indian penal code – Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, shall be punished
NAKALAKSHMI CHAUDHARY ABOUT PRAJWAL REVANNA:
Concerning the obscene video clips circulated in Karnataka’s Hassan district, Dr Nagalakshmi Chowdhary, Chairperson of the Women’s Commission stated that the ‘obscene videos’ case involving JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna is the biggest scandal of the country. Further, She said that the pen drive she received contained hundreds of explicit videos, some of which purportedly showed Prajwal Revanna. On going through the details, Nagalakshmi Chaudhary wrote to the to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, stating that it is very important to conduct an investigation in this case, therefore, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with Prajwal Revanna’s alleged obscene video case in Hassan district.
KARTHIK(DRIVER) ROLE BEHIND THE CONTROVERSY:
When the sex scandal controversy of Prajwal Revanana and the SIT with respect to the controversy continued the story took a different turn wherein the pen drive was alleged to have been leaked by Karthi the ex-driver of the Revanna family, from the sources it is reported that Prajwal Revanna family had a driver named Karthik, who was the trusted person of their family who worked for more than 15 years, the issue revolving the Ravenna family and driver Karthik about the 16 acres of land in holenarasipura, which was alleged to be in the name of driver Karthik, but Revanna family asks the driver to sell the land and give the money to them, when the case gets out of the hand driver Karthik quits the job in 2023, march, from the sources it is also said that driver Krishna also received a lot of threat from the Ravenna family concerning 16 acres, which became the root cause for the sex scandal controversy,
It is reported from the sources that while driver Karthik was working in the Revanna family he had access to all the digital stuff of Prajwal, therefore all the explicit videos in the Prajwal phone was made up into a collection and the driver copied all the 2976 videos into a pen drive and waiting for the correct time to take the revenge, therefore when JDS was along side of congress he approached BJP leader devaraje Gowda, while there was a plan to do something with the pen drive against Prajwal Ravenna, the JDS Party moved along the side of BJP, and supported BJP, Ravenna was also given a seat to contest in election.
IS DEVARAJE GOWDA INVOLVED IN SPREADING CONTROVERSY ABOUT PRAJWAL?
When things stood thus, on 8th December 2023, Devaraje Gowda, writes a letter to Karnataka BJP President Vijaendra Yediyurappa that the candidate Prajwal Revanna, BJP ND Alliance has a lot of explicit videos filmed and it would be wrong to move if BJP doesn’t stop him from controversy, on Jan 2024 through conference devaraje gowda stated that he had obtained the vedios and can bring deeds to revanna family in front of the people and as a result driver karthik stopped receiving the calls of devaraje gowda.
When the sex scandal controversy broke out driver karthik was alleged to have been made the videos spread but the driver clearly denied the allegations he said that he only gave the pendrive to devaraje gowda only to submit in court and not any where, When devaraje gowda was asked about it he said that the leak of this pendrive will cause him the biggest loss because his party will be in loss and he will be in the last person to leak the vedios, he also said when Karthik came to give him pendrive, he asked Karthik if the pendrive is given to anyone as a reply it was said that Congress committee president D.k. Shivakumar is also given but later it was denied. Devarajrgowda also said that the time at which the vedios were shared will only benefit Congress and Congress is the culprit behind this controversy.
JDS ON PRAJWAL REVANNA SEX SCANDAL CASE?
JDS suspended Prajwal Revanna till the completion of SIT probe and Kumaraswamy says JDS party is against ‘injustice’ towards women
JDS claimed that the deputy chief minister of Congress, D.K. Shivakumar has leaked all the vedios as there was very close competition between them in 2-3 seats, in order to win that all these things were done.
Currently, Prajwal has tweeted that he has not run away but just went outside on important work and will come back
In conclusion, we can say that, the arrival of prajwal revanna to India is awaited and whether he is guilty of offence or an innocent has to be proved and Over the entire political drama, the victim women whose faces were being made public suffered the entire loss
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Article by:SOWMYA.R
